Path Less Chosen
by FeistyFox
Summary: DG finds that the O.Z. may have a more interesting plan for her than just becoming queen.
1. Chapter 1

It had been three months since the Eclipse and she felt more lost than she ever had on the Other Side. At least there she had an escape plan if all else failed. When she had told her parents she didn't feel at home she hadn't imagine her actual home to be so confusing. Now she felt trapped and more than a little mystified by more customs and lessons than she felt she could handle.

She also refused to admit, at least out loud, that she felt a bit empty. When she was racing across the O.Z. she had a definite purpose, a goal. Get the Emerald, save Az and, well, everybody else in the process. Looking back at her short adventure and then down at the pile of aged and yellowed text before her she wondered if she could go run for her life some more. Really it had been a great workout, and the lack of sleep and definite risk of death seemed a tad bit more welcoming than a pile of books about Ozian economics.

Wasn't she supposed to have advisors for this sort of thing? People who actually wanted to know about trade guilds and such? Honestly the closest she had ever come to economics was splitting her tips with the bussers at the Hilltop Café. Revealing this little fact to her mother had been a mistake. The look she had been given when the reinstated Queen found out she had been a, what had she said? Ah yes a barmaid. That had been enough to make her either want to sink into the floor in shame or go into a fit of pique. And really that was ridiculous because she hadn't done anything wrong.

And converting dollars into platinum seemed to be a bit more of a challenge than she had originally thought. Damn she hated math, and why on earth did platinum's break down into complex fractions? Who the hell came up with that brilliant little idea?

However looking up through her lashes at Toto caused her to reconsider asking this question out loud. Those types of questions, the spontaneous type she was so fond of, often resulted in a forced history lesson, or politic lesson, or the gods help her etiquette lessons. Looking back she though a bit bitterly that no one had mentioned princess lessons while racing across the O.Z. If they had she may have reconsidered the whole lets stop the eternal darkness thing but probably only for a few minutes.

What made things even more frustrated than anything was the giant gaping holes still left in her memory. Toto simply assumed that since she had somehow managed to save Az and kill the witch that she had unlocked all her memories. When she had told him otherwise he gave her that look that clearly stated she wasn't trying hard enough. As if she would purposely forget a lesson she had had ten years… annuals… whatever ago with the threat of relearning everything all over again. Honestly that was just counterproductive.

"Now can you explain to me the difference between the proper trading customs of the eastern tree dwellers and the northern glacial tribes, and why these difference could cause serious misunderstandings between these peoples," asked Toto in his most serious and migraine inducing tone.

"Ummmm…" DG replied trying to look discretely to the side at the scribbled notes shoved between two of the huge volumes before giving up completely.

"The tree dwellers are a little net happy?"

Apparently not the right answer judging by the look she received from her Tutor. However she had been trapped in this dusty room off the library so long she got more than a little satisfaction from his annoyance.

"DG! Are you even trying to focus on this lesson? I am starting to think you may not fully grasp your position in this kingdom! You are going to be the next Queen of the OZ! You must learn these things!" Toto scolded.

Going completely still she looked wide-eyed at her Tutor before her mouth dropped open. He had to be out of his tale wagging little mind.

"Queen!" DG spluttered out, "Az is going to be Queen not me!"

Tutor looked at her as if she had grown a second head before saying, "Azkadilla cannot rule the O.Z. princess. She gave up that right when she overthrew your mother."

"What! The witch is the one that overthrew mother not Az! I don-"

Toto cut her off, "This has already been decided DG if your mother has not discussed this with you then she must be even less impressed with what you have accomplished than I am."

DG could feel the blood begin to pound in her ears. How dare he assume she wasn't trying to learn. Toto was coming dangerously close to pushing her over her boiling point. The lamps in the room began to flicker in response to the magic desperately trying to slip out of her control. Reeling her temper and her magic back in DG stood so fast her chair fell over. Toto took a step back from her sudden magical outburst.

"You need to control your magic Princess! You have more at your disposal than your sister ever did. Which means-"

DG didn't hear the rest of what her Tutor said as she stomped out of the library. As she strode out the door slammed shut as she let her magic slip from her. Tutor was right about the strength of her magic but she had a suspicion that she had far more control over it than the little lap dog thought. She had spent more than a few nights alone in the library researching and experimenting with it. However her anger cooled into a kind of panic as she raced up the stair to the family wing of the Central City Palace in search of her mother.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Once again I own nothing.

She was nearly positive that sprinting down the hallway in front of several royal guards was very un-princess like behavior. Shortly after rounding the corner closest to her mothers' suite she was sure that it was also not the smartest thing to do as she bounced off a warm body and thumped onto the cool tile she had been skidding across.

Her only response to this occurrence was a soft "ouff," as she introduced herself to the floor. It was actually quite a lovely mosaic design although she made a mental note to discus the amount of polish used on it later

Looking up she encountered a pair of warm brown eyes not three feet away from her. Sprawled across from her Glitch had propped himself up on an elbow to look at her. Dressed in a new forest green suit trimmed in silver with buttons that twinkled so merrily she had to squint at them in the bright light streaming in through the wall length windows that made up most of the west side of the family wing.

"What's up Doll?" he asked in his most optimistically Glitchy way. While they had managed to get Glitches brain back in, Ambrose thankfully made few personality appearances. DG had been told to expect a drastic personality change in the man before the operation was preformed and had silently wished her last traveling companion in the palace goodbye.

She had been so upset by this that she nearly refused to go see the man before his operation. However as she paced silently up and down the hallway outside she found that not going to see him would have made her the worst and most cowardly friend in both worlds. So steeling her nerve she had gone to find him sitting in the operating room talking with her mother.

His excitement at her arrival was so great that she spiraled into a guilt trip as big as the grassland she used to live on. While Glitch may have had a number of misfiring synapses he could tell that she was a bit off her game. His smile faltered as she put on a falsely bright one of her own.

"DG?" he asked softly.

Her mother looked up at her newly reinstated advisors face and then swiftly to her daughters. If one thing could be said about her mother it was that she was almost flawlessly observant. With a gentle squeeze on Glitches' hand she smiled at her daughter and walked silently from the room.

"Hey Glitch are you ready to get to know yourself?" she asked in bright voice.

Glitch looked at her seriously and she knew there was a problem. After all Glitch had smiled happily at her as they broke into a dark fortress after her possessed sister to stop a magical catastrophe. Her guilt increased.

"Are you all right DG?" he tilted his head to the side and reached out for her hand.

Slipping her hand into his she gave him another over bright smile, "You know you're the one that's going into surgery. I think I should be the one asking you that question."

"You would think I'd be nervous but really I'm not. Soon I'll be able to remember everything again! I'm so glad you helped me find my brain DG! Did you know Cain almost shot it?" Glitches smile tried to rebound at this point but feel a bit shy of all there.

The mention of Cain caused her stomach to drop and her smile fall off her face. She turned slightly to look about the room and avoid her friend's eyes for a moment while she regained the internal sense of balance she had been working so hard to achieve over the last few weeks.

Three days after the Eclipse both Cain and Raw had left with a number of the freedom fighters to help round up the remaining Longcoats. Cain had left in order to get reacquainted with his son. The fact that he had a great deal of experience with half crazy criminals had helped him fit in rather quickly with the fighters. She found herself wanting to be happy for him and failing miserably.

Raw had chosen to accompany him for a time for reasons unknown to DG. All the seer had said in response to her rather pathetically tearful questions was that she should not be sad and that he would see her soon. What was that supposed to even mean! At least Cain hadn't been there for the crying bit. She had done enough of that in front of him. Of course it would have been much easier for him to have seen it if he had actually said goodbye. She had a sneaking suspicion he had sent Raw to tell her the news under some sort of duress.

And now here she was close to tears again because her happy friend was about to get what he wanted. What was wrong with her lately? Sure she had been thrown into a world she was unable to remember and an adventure that had scared and challenged her to her limits but this was getting ridicules. There was no need to feel so upset just because her friends were off living their lives. After all she had her family right? So no big deal really… honestly…damn she couldn't even lie to herself anymore.

If she wanted to be perfectly honest she had to admit that the three men she had traveled with had been the closest friends she had ever had, with the exception of her sister before the whole witch debacle. She had never exactly been good with her peers growing up. She had always been just a bit too strange for the other children she went to school with. She was odd; a dreamer so the others kids had remained at a distance from her, as if she would suddenly sprout horns or something.

Then she had met these men who made her feel almost normal, even if it seemed as if she were in the way from time to time. She found it funny that it had taken a man with half a brain, a furry nightmare, and an emotionally scarred ex tin man to make her feel normal. That was just so messed up.

Dragging herself back to the present she made a decision. Looking back at Glitch she decided the only way out of this particular situation was honesty. It might be best if she were honest and fast at the same time.

"The doctors said you probably won't be the same after you get your brain back in again and I'm worried I'll be all alone if its just Ambrose in your head because Az said he was always so stuffy! And I don't want to feel like I have to be all royal in front of you or be treated like I'm royal cause I just want you to stay Glitch. You know the guy I found tied to the top of a cage and I know that's completely selfish but mmmf…"

Glitch had slapped his free hand over her mouth to stop the crazed torrent of words spilling from her mouth. His eyes had softened and she could swear that he had more synapses firing right than wrong at that moment.

Lowering his hand he said, "DG, Doll, I promise I'm not going to go anywhere. Even if I have to fight Ambrose and his deadly dull stuffiness out through my ears. But if you're really that worried I can wait till Raw and Cain get back to put my brain back in. After all I think I did pretty well without it the last few months… the last few months… the last few months"

She yanked softly on the hand that was still grasped in her own to stop the misfires. She sighed gently and shook her head at him.

"No. You need your brain back and I need to stop acting like a spoiled teenager. We should have had your brain back in last week but the Munchkin ambassadors showed up. Besides I'm not entirely sure either of them will be back anytime soon so lets get this show on the road."

Smiling Glitch pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry DG it'll work itself out. But I have to ask you something serious."

Pulling back she looked at him apprehensively.

"Do you think I should keep the zipper?"

The zipper it had been decided needed to go. Fortunately Glitches personality had not. While it was taking time for his brain to reconnect completely he was certainly far more aware of what was happening in the realm than she was. Glitch, as he insisted she call him when they were in private, seemed to fit effortlessly back into his role as top advisor to the Queen. In fact he fit in so well she doubted she would have recognized him if it weren't for the happy glint in his eye when he looked at her.

Well that and his somewhat awkward method of completely changing the subject when he got bored or sidetracked by a new thought. Apparently the abrupt stops or leaps in logic he had displayed with only half a brain were not completely due to his brain amputation. Where once his brain had stopped when he was confused and lead in a different direction now it was working so fast he could not get anyone else to follow his line of thought. So he simply changed the subject and hoped for the best.

Her mother had said that was simply how dear Ambrose interacted with people and she should try not to take any notice. She ignored this piece of advice. She was so enthralled with this new side of her friend that she couldn't help but prod him a bit to see where his thoughts would take him. She had a feeling that if she watched him think enough she would get to see the little metaphoric bumper cars bouncing around in his head. Because there could be no other explanation to how his mind worked.

"Outer Zone to DG! Where you looking for someone or have you received your first concussion from the floor?"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything although I wouldn't mind getting my hands on Cain's hat.

Snapping back to the present DG sat up and looked over at her friend. "Sorry Glitch I wasn't watching where I was going. I need to talk to Mother."

Scrambling to her feet she grabbed the startled advisor by the arm and dragged him up. Obviously surprised that the small young woman had the strength to pull him up he did not react in time to stop her from sliding past him through the door and shutting it with a snap behind her.

Across massive room and to the left her mother sat at a large ornately carved desk that was nearly swamped with papers, scrolls, and various other documents. Her father was leaning over her right shoulder and pointing at something that he obviously did not agree with. Upon hearing the door shut both of her parents looked up at her. Her mother just seemed surprised to see her daughter at her usual lesson time while her father appeared concerned as soon as he met her eyes.

"My Angel you should be with Tutor is something the matter?" Her mothers calm voice did little to sooth her at the moment. She was flirting dangerously with panic and anger at the thought of being stuck as future queen of the O.Z.

"Toto said that you were going to make me queen. I don't want to be queen! Please tell me he was kidding!" Ok so subtlety wasn't her strong suit either. But this needed to be straightened out right now.

Her mother gave her the oddest look she had ever gotten and that was saying something. "Of course your going to be the queen my sweet. Why would you have thought otherwise?"

"I don't want to be Queen!" ok so now she was shouting but this was off the wall crazy. This line of thinking had to be stopped right now. If that meant she had to rant her way out of it then so be it. Ranting she could do, that and dig her heals in. She was so going to win this argument, hands down no contest.

"What happened to the whole 'whoever holds the Emerald will be Queen' thing? Az is supposed to be Queen not me. She had the Emerald! She was the good daughter! Az is the one that went to all her lessons and learned the right magic and charmed everyone. She knows how to be Queen! She isn't struggling to understand the customs of her people. And I know this might sound awful but lets face it, she even has experience! Sure it might not be _good_ experience but its still experience. Not to mention she's been tutoring me and trust me on this she is way better at this stuff than I am!"

Pausing to take a breath and judge her parents reactions she was starting to worry that they had been quiet to long. Her mother had gone completely still and her usually happy father was frowning at her. As she opened her mouth to continue her mother stood from her chair and met her eyes. Crap. These were not the 'I am so glad to see my long lost daughter eyes' or even the 'I can not understand how you could make yourself look so unbecoming to that nice noblemen's son' eyes. She was suddenly faced with two hard amethysts. The Queen of the O.Z. was trying to stare her down.

"DG you will be announced as heir apparent at the sixth month anniversary of the Eclipse. I thought you had realized this and were simply to shy to approach us about it. I realize that this must be frightening for you but Azkadilla cannot take the throne. Many of our people do not believe that she was possessed. You will do your duty DG." Her voice brooked no argument.

Unfortunately for her mother she had never been good at backing down from an argument.

"No." even as she realized the logic of her mothers case something in the back of her mind, the part that was connected to her magic made her anger rise once more.

"Azkadilla had the Emerald she will be Queen." Her voice went flat and cold. She refused to break eye contact with her mother. She felt her magic warm her and for the first time realized that it had been nudging her since Toto had told her about her position. She tried to process this while staring down her mother.

True she had been a bit on edge since she had arrived in the O.Z. but realizing she would most likely be made queen should not have thrown her into such a rage. She should have been preparing herself for this. Hell she should be grateful that Az would not have to face a people that she had inadvertently tortured. For half a second she wavered as she came to this conclusion but then her magic…snapped at her. On instinct she listened to it.

Her mother regarded her with open shock when she talked back to her. And much to her surprise the Queen looked away. Her father moved closer to his violet eyed wife and studied his newly found child. He seemed as surprised by this sudden change in her as her mother.

"Perhaps we should talk about this in the morning DG," Ahamo said evenly. He was obviously unsure how to handle this situation or who needed his support at the moment more.

In that instant DG felt something float through her consciousness. It was cool and almost like a whisper. She was suddenly very certain that they would not be discussing this again. Ever. A chill went through her and she looked away from her father's searching eyes. Something was about to happen and while she was nervous she felt no real fear from it.

Instead of responding she jerked her head in what she hopped was an affirmative manner, turned on her heal and walked out. The last time she had felt this way she had been about to sneak into a castle full of Longcoats and was as unsure of the outcome as she was of the feelings she had for a certain Tin Man.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

_Why do you hide in the palace princess? It is not your place. _

She struggled to see who was whispering to her in the darkened orchard. Half lying on the ground beneath a single blooming tree she tried to rise to her feet. However her legs did not want to cooperate with what her brain was frantically telling them to do. Something brushed her cheek and she whipped her head to the left only to see nothing.

_We need to be healed… why do you wait?_

"Who are you?" she called out hoarsely, "Please I can't help you if I don't know who you are!" She felt the now familiar panic begin to rise in her again.

_We are yours._

"What? Mine? I don't own anyone!" Dragging herself to her knees took far more effort than it should have. Perhaps running was not an option. She focused inward to find her light. If she couldn't run she could still use magic. She would like to see this voice take her down without a fight.

_We would not hurt you. We are yours. Why do you wait?_

She froze. It could tell what she was thinking. Well that was so not good. The only one that she felt even remotely comfortable doing that was Raw. "Are you a seer?"

This time the voice did not respond but she _felt_ it considering her.

"Please I don't understand. What do you want me to do? I can't help unless you tell me what's wrong or at least where you are."

_We are the Outer Zone._

Ok so that was certainly not the answer she was expecting.

"The O.Z.?" Great because this place wasn't weird enough. Now the kingdom was talking to her, the actual kingdom.

"How am I supposed to help you? I know how to use my magic, a little anyway, but I don't know… umm well where you need to be healed."

_We will link with you if that is what must be done. _

She had a feeling this was not going to be a great plan for her. "You're going to what now?"

_We will connect you to us. Your magic is strong but new to you young one. We are experienced. The link will help you use your magic to a more practical purpose._

This was starting to sound a little too much like an order. The Outer Zone seemed to have a bossy streak. She was tired of taking other peoples orders. The fact that the order wasn't actually coming from a person did not make her feel any better about being bossed around.

"And what, you want me to just bound out of the palace and away from my family to heal you just like that?" Ah sarcasm her greatest weapon. "I realize I don't know a great deal about being a kingdom but surely you must see the problem here."

_Explain._

She blinked, "Listen I want to help but I'm supposed to be the next queen." She closed her eyes and forced the next words out. "And as unappealing as that is to me my family needs me. I can't just frolic off into the countryside that is currently overrun with renegade Longcoats that are out for my blood. I may not be afraid of a fight but I'm not crazy. I can't even remember all the things I should be looking over my shoulder for!"

_We can help you watch. And when we link you will no longer be allowed to take the throne. _

This time the voice sounded a bit pleased with itself. A sneaking suspicion about her recent mood swings began to rise in the back of her mind.

_You have learned wisdom little healer. You will need to be protected on your journey. We will bind a guardian to you. _

"Wait! I don't want anyone to be bound to me! No one should have to risk their necks to keep me safe! I would rather just, you know, go it alone if that's my only option! And what do you mean I won't be allowed to take the throne?"

_We are running out of time and our energy is not what it once was._ The voice paused for a long moment. _You must have a guardian if you are to survive the Shadows. Leave tomorrow at sunset and head toward the fields we have shown you. Your guardian will be close by._

"Shadows?" She felt an icy chill come from the voice when she repeated the name.

_Our enemy. Your guardian will be marked when he has touched you and the binding will begin. For now we must link._

She shrank closer to the tree. "And what exactly does that entail?"

_It will only hurt for a few moments. Then we will be able to guide you when our power permits._

To her utter amazement the ground around her rose up silently. It quickly twisted and churned until it resembled, in the loosest sense, a human shape. She tried to lunge to her left but was unable to move. She couldn't even scream as it went down on one knee before her and reached out for her right shoulder. Stopping just short of touching her it spoke without moving its mouth.

_You must begin your journey tomorrow or you will be unable to meet with your guardian._

With that the figure pressed his glowing palm above her chest with burning force. If she could have screamed in pain she would have, instead she passed out.

She sat up in her bed in a cold sweat. Her breathing was ragged as she tried to get herself under control. Looking down at her right shoulder she saw that her nightshirt had a burn mark where the ground thing had touched her.

She all but fell out of bed in her haste to make it to her vanity mirror. She pulled what was left of the material of the gown off her shoulder. When she saw the new tattoo on her skin she sucked in a breath.

"Oh shit."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nope still don't on anything, what a shame.

For a few moments she stared blankly at what she was seeing in the mirror. She recalled the time she had told her Robomom about her desire to get a tattoo. The exchange of words that had followed had been less than pleasant on both sides. It had been one of the few times in her life that she had backed down from a fight. She blamed the massive bribe her mother had presented her with for that.

She would have done just about anything to get a motorcycle. If that meant not living without a tattoo, well then that was something she was willing to live with. Looking more closely at her shoulder she decided that another motorcycle would be better.

Glaring at her new mark she did have to admit it was a barbarically beautiful design. It was about twice as large as an Earth quarter. Dark black lines twisted and coiled around each other in complex design. From a foot or so away it looked like it was one of the Outer Zones' suns. But if she peered at it more closely it appeared to be a large tree with branches and blooms extending from the trunk in every direction.

Well the mark on her shoulder ruled out the really bad dream theory. That was a pity. She had a feeling that this was going to be rather hard to explain. Then again she was the one that needed an explanation. It was rather ironic that she was now getting cryptic messages from the voices in her head. It was a good thing there were no psychologists in the O.Z.; they would have a field day with her.

Pulling her gown back on her shoulder she walked back to her bed and grabbed her robe. She really missed the days when she could walk around her house in nothing more than pajama shorts and a tank top. For now though the robe would be useful. Wrapping it tight around herself she padded quietly to her door and cracked it open.

Peeking out she saw two guards down the hall. Closing the door silently she gave a silent huff of annoyance. Nothing could be easy. Closing her eyes she pulled insistently at her magic and focused on every positive thought she had of Glitch. With a gentle shimmer she pulled the advisor into her room.

She staggered a bit from the drain as Glitch hit the floor for the second time that day. The poor man must have been asleep because as he realized he was no longer in his bed and twisted into a crouched fighting stance she noticed that he was dressed in his nightclothes.

"Quiet Glitch!" she hissed softly. She mentally cursed herself for yanking him into her room before setting up a silencing field. "Just a second." After setting the spell she opened her eyes to find Glitch giving her a very Ambrose like look.

"DG why am I in your room in the middle of the night?" For the life of her she couldn't tell if he was annoyed or amused by this unexpected event. He was looking around her room with intrest. "Did you use your magic to pull me in here?"

Walking over to the nearest lamp she responded quickly, "Yeah, something weird just happened and that is really saying something after living in the O.Z. for more than a week."

Turning back to him she saw interest flicker in his eyes. "What happened?"

She licked her suddenly dry lips, "I had… I had a nightmare. Except I'm pretty sure it happened. I didn't know who else to ask."

The way she said it must have tipped him off. He was suddenly completely focused on her. "What happened Cupcake?"

She felt the corners of her mouth twitch despite herself but her humor was short lived. "The Outer Zone decided to have a little heart to heart with me. And when it was done talking it gave me a present to remember it by."

She untied her robe and yanked both it and her gown away from her shoulder. Glitch's eyes moved from her face to the mark and when he spotted the design he moved to her so fast she almost recoiled. The only thing that kept her from pulling back when he grabbed her arm in a vice like grip was her instinctual trust in him.

After several very uncomfortable minutes when she was certain that his mouth was trying to form words he dragged his eyes back up to hers. The warmth that she was so used to seeing was absent. It had been replaced by fear.

"What did it say to you DG?" His voice was soft but insistent.

She gave him what she could only assume was an incredulous look. "So does it talk to people _often_?"

Glitch straightened completely and she noticed that he was even paler than usual. "No DG I'm afraid it doesn't"

"What happened to happy-go-lucky Glitch? It must be pretty bad if you're looking at me like that. What's the matter?" She had expected Glitch to tell her everything was just fine. This was obviously not her day.

His eyes shifted from fearful to compassionate. "DG you need to tell me what it said to you."

"It said that I had to heal it. And that I had to leave for the Papay fields tomorrow night to meet with my guardian."

"Did it say anything else DG?" The intense eye contact was starting to freak her out.

"Ummmm… it said that I wouldn't be queen." Ok so maybe that last part had come out a little too optimistically.

"Well that's obvious." He stated dryly. "Anything else? Think DG."

The total acceptance of her statement surprised her. Trying to move past it she forced herself back to the conversation with the O.Z. "Well at first it scared me so I tried to blast it."

She saw Glitches mouth twitch. "Of course you would threaten it."

"Hey it scared me! Anyway it didn't get mad. It just said it was mine and it wouldn't hurt me, oh and something about Shadows."

At that Glitches jaw actually dropped.

"Ok what did I say this time?" she asked.

"It said it was yours? Your absolutely sure?"

"Uhh yeah it said that more than once."

Glitch seemed to relax all at once and pulled her into a hug so fast she stumbled into him. He squeezed her and then pulled back. "If it said you have to leave then we need to get you packed and find you some traveling cloths." He tilted his head to the side and regarded her. "You need a hat and I think were going to have to cut your hair."

Her hand flew to her head and she gave him a look. "You think I should go? Is your brain still in your head?"

For the first time since she magicked him in he grinned at her. "Trust me we need to sneak you out of here tomorrow night. I can take care of the cloths and supplies and the horse. You need to go to lessons and pretend like nothing has happened."

"Hold on! It's going to be hard to pretend nothing happened when I don't know what happened! I might start to look a wee bit paranoid! And why should we listen to something that branded me?" Thinking back she found the more she thought about what had happened the more miffed she was.

"Because DG you have been chosen as the new protector of the realm. No one sane will dare go against the will of the Outer Zone. Not even the Queen has that power."

"Yes because everyone I've met here has been so sane."

"Well you have a point there." Cheery Glitch had come back full force. "Good thing it assigned you a protector. Oh my, your parents are going to be so upset when they realize you've disappeared." This she thought was an understatement.

"Do you think you could send me back to my room?"

"Well at least we'll be gone by the time they realize what's happened."

"Oh no DG." He looked at her guiltily. She sighed she knew what was coming before he said it.

"I can't go with you."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing but appreciate all your reviews! Thanks guys! Since you were so nice I made this chapter extra long.

The next day she found herself in the presence of her tutor yet again. But today, whether it was the lack of sleep or the knowledge that she would never have to sit through another lecture she achieved a sort of calm she hadn't experienced since she got to the O.Z. She had a feeling that her compliance was making Toto a bit suspicious.

He had decided, it seemed, to take her strange behavior in stride and was all but force-feeding her facts about royal lineage. While he occasionally shot her a disbelieving glance he had nothing to bark at her about as she was paying attention. She thought vaguely that she should make some sort of scathing comment soon just to throw his attention away from the fact that she was acting like a well-trained puppy.

On the upside he had moved their daily lessons of torture, as she mentally referred to them, to the main library. Most likely because he was afraid to be stuck in a cramped space if her magic escaped her control again. Well she wasn't complaining. At least there were windows here, feeling the suns on her back always made her feel more positive.

"Now if you look at your family tree you can see the flow of succession from Dorothy Gale, your namesake, to your mother. Once you have been officially named heir your name will be added at the top."

She scanned the chart with disinterest. Yup a whole line of great queens of the O.Z. for generations right up to her mother. All of them oldest daughters who had been groomed from birth to take the thrown. Lucky them. Why did she have to be the first second daughter to be placed in this situation? Right before she glanced back up at Toto she spotted an anomaly on the parchment.

Half way up the tree she noticed that Ariana, a first daughter, had somehow been replaced by her younger sister. Weird. Well since this was her last lesson she might as well indulge in her curiosity. Turning the paper toward Toto she pointed to the name.

"Why wasn't she made queen Toto?"

"It's Tutor!" he snapped but leaned in closer to see what she was pointing at.

"Ah yes, well she was unfortunately unable to take the throne after she was claimed."

"Come again?" That was intriguing.

"That is hardly the appropriate response for a princess."

She rolled her eyes at him.

He continued as if nothing had happened, "Every now and then someone with a great gift of magic will be claimed by the kingdom. In this instance it happened to be a member of the royal line. Bit unfortunate for her actually."

Oh shut up. There was no possible way that he was talking about what she thought he was. That was just too much of a coincidence. Even as she thought it she felt her shoulder tingle pleasantly. Well if the O.Z. was going to meddle in her life at least it was going to be helpful.

"Why was it unfortunate?"

"If one is claimed it is impossible for them to take the throne."

She restrained herself from throttling him. "Why?"

"Once someone has been claimed they must dedicate themselves to what the Outer Zone has asked them to do. In Ariana's case she was claimed as a battle mage. A war had been raging in the province at the time and she was needed to turn the tables and keep the line of succession in the house of Gale."

"How is that any different from being Queen?"

"The role of the Queen is to protect the interest of the realm. She cannot be ruled by emotion and must make her decisions based on the good of the majority. Someone who has been claimed must follow his or her best judgment based on what the O.Z. has demanded. This means that more often than not the mage will go against political policy. It was decided that Ariana could not be allowed to rule when it was discovered she had been claimed. To many conflicting responsibilities."

She tried to absorb this information. "So… what happened to her?"

The happy expression on her tutors face told her he was very pleased with her newfound interest with history. "Well she…" Toto paused his gaze cutting across the vast room.

Then she felt it as well. Some sort of magic had seeped into their presence. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and the mark on her arm burned. Standing up slowly she moved away from the table toward Toto. He appeared to have the same idea that she did as he stepped closer to where she was.

What happened after that occured so fast that she was surprised that Toto had the good sense to react. To their left an ancient oak bookcase toppled down toward them accompanied by a hollow boom. Toto managed to throw what magic he had at it and blast it away from them.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a cloaked figure materialized out of the wall. It turned to Toto and she saw something flash out of its hand. To late she knew what it was. Her teacher gave a startled cry and fell to the floor a dagger sticking out of his chest.

"No! Toto!" her heart seemed to stop beating in that instant. Then she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Guards!"

She moved in front of the man that had taught her to use her magic and threw up a shield. The cloaked figure turned its covered head to take her in.

"Where is the chosen?"

Its voice did not sound human. It had hissed at her. Her tattoo burned as hotly as her blood. Dimly she heard the doors to the library being slammed open. Its gaze did not waver from her as the palace guards raced toward them.

"Very well then you may die as well."

Before he had completed his threat she had raised her arm and shot a bolt of white-hot magic at him. The power behind the blast was so intense that the bolt shot a hole through his body. The figure crumpled to the ground with an ear-piercing shriek and didn't move. Black blood began to pool around its body.

As the guards approached she fell to her knees next to Toto. "Get a healer now!" She forced every ounce of authority into her voice. She heard one of the men turn and run out the door.

"Toto! Toto look at me!" She pulled a towel out of the air without thinking about it and pressed it around the knife sticking out of her friends' chest. She pressed down frantically trying to stop the bleeding. Her hands were soon soaked in blood.

"You really are the best sorceress I've ever taught DG." The words came out as a soft croak. "You made me proud despite what I've said."

"Yeah well you're the best teacher ever." She managed to choke out the words around the lump in her throat. She knew a goodbye when she heard one. "I'm sorry I don't know how to heal people."

His pain filled eyes crinkled and she saw a spark in them for an instant. "You heal people all the time DG you just don't seem to notice."

Reaching up he placed a hand on top of hers. He pulled in a gasping breath and exhaled. His eyes closed and then he went still. His hand slid off her bloody one and onto the floor.

"Toto?" she whispered. "Toto?" she shook him gently.

She moved from disbelief to denial in a split second. "No!" She hadn't thought she new how to wail. She pressed her head against her hands as the sobs she had been holding back tore through her.

At some point someone grabbed her and pulled her back. She kicked out her legs and screamed to be let go of. Arms tightened around her waist and pulled her insistently away from her friends' body.

"Hush DG its alright! Stop fighting me spitfire!" Her fathers soothing voice finally penetrated her consciousness. "Calm down my love. Shhhh."

She went limp in his grasp and began to shake even harder. Ahamo had dragged her several yards from her teacher and was stroking her back in smooth circles. After several minutes the healer moved away from Toto and a guard placed a sheet over him. She vaguely wondered where he had gotten it from so quickly.

"Who is the attacker? Show me who attacked my daughter and killed our friend." Her fathers voice was sharp and rang with an authority she had never heard before.

The healer moved toward the other body. As he turned the body and she took a short gasp of air. She had killed someone. She didn't know what to feel about that. Then he pulled the hood back and she saw his face. She recoiled into her father.

The cloaked figure seemed as if it had once been human. But something had warped it. It, he, was hairless and the skin was drawn around his forehead and cheek. The rest of his face would have seemed normal if it had had lips. His teeth were flat except for his canines, which were long and sharp as fangs. His complexion did not benefit from the molted gray color it sported.

"Take the Princess to her rooms." Ahamo hugged her and then pushed her gently toward one of the guards.

The nameless guard pulled on her arm and she followed him numbly. As she was steered out of the library she heard her father giving fast orders and asking for someone to go fetch Ambrose and the Captain of the Palace Guard.

Hours later and she was clean and sitting silently on the chaise in her room. Az was sitting close by watching her. She was aware that she was most likely making Az nervous. Their positions had changed since Az helped her strip off her bloody cloths and helped her wash. She had felt trapped as soon as she was lead to her room and surrounded by several scared maids in waiting.

She had retreated silently to her bathroom and refused to open the door. She could feel the tension on the other side of the door as the women tried to figure out what to do. Not five minutes later she heard the now normally silent Az ordering all of them out. The authority in her voice and her history caused the women to clear out quickly enough.

She had let Az in but refused to tell her what had happened. Az had not pressed. Instead she had started to sing a half remembered lullaby to her that she found comforting instead of annoying. Once she was clean Az had pulled her back into her room and thrown her a pair of loose men's pants and a long sleeved black shirt.

She looked up at her sister in surprise. Az moved her eyes to the closed door and made a decision. With a wave of her hand a silencing spell surrounded them. Az then turned her gaze to her shoulder. She covered her tattoo with her hand. She had forgotten about it.

"Ambrose told me what happened after you put him back his room last night." Her voice had a hint of worry to it.

"I was going to tell you after lessons… I'm sorry you have to be queen Az."

"I'm not. You would have been horrible at it anyway." Her voice was bland but she saw the amusement in her sister's eyes and smiled weakly.

"Still I-" She stopped and tilted her head to the side. "Why did Glitch tell you last night and not this morning?"

Her sister blushed. Oh. Well that was unexpected. She giggled despite herself. She couldn't help it.

"How long has that been going on?" she inquired sweetly.

"Not long… Do you think you could not transport him out of bed again? It was a bit spooky. Your lucky I could tell it was your magic."

"Sorry had I known you to were most likely groping each other I would have waited."

Her sister's blush extended from her face and down her neck. "DG!" She regained control quickly. "Ambrose has everything ready for your trip. So now we wait until nightfall huh?"

"Yeah, now we wait."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I promise Cain and Raw will show in the next chapter. Just hang in there.

As the second sun began to sink behind the horizon a knock sounded on her bedroom door. Both she and Az jumped at the noise. Making eye contact with Az she watched as her sister rose with a grace that she envied. Walking to the door she opened it a crack before moving back and letting Glitch enter.

At the moment he didn't appear at all the happy friend she was used to seeing. His normally springy hair was more unkempt than it usually was and his eyes had dark bags beneath them. His mouth, which was usually quirked up in at least a minimal smile was drawn into a straight line. Even his eyes had lost their happy glow. Under his arm he had a small bundle of cloth.

As he moved past Az he grabbed her hand and pulled her back toward the chair she had recently abandoned. After Az was seated he turned away from her sister to crouch down in front of her so that they were at eye level. She had her legs pulled up against her chest and he placed his hands on her knees.

"Are you alright DG?"

"No." There was that lack of subtlety again. Maybe she should try to work on that. But damn it, things were so much easier when people knew where she stood. And then her eyes started to water again. Impatient with herself she roughly wiped them away.

"It wasn't your fault Doll." He said it so sincerely. She wanted to believe him. She really, really did.

"They were after me. He asked me where the chosen one was. After he…" She broke off and sucked in a breath. She needed to stay in control. She could do this. "At least he didn't know it was me right?"

He squeezed her knee and nodded. "We need to get you ready to go. I think the sooner you leave the safer you'll be."

"Ok what did the royal advisor bring for me today?" Her attempt at humor failed miserably.

He glanced over his shoulder at Az who stood once more and hurried toward the bathroom. As she went he sat next to her on the chaise. Unrolling the bundle he handed her a belt, a dark green jacket, and what she thought was an old Earth newsies cap. None of the garments were new. She realized that once she had them on she would blend in with just about any crowd.

She accepted the cloths and quickly put on the belt and jacket. While she was shrugging it on he placed a pair of worn black boots next to her on the floor. Pulling on the boots she was grateful to note that they fit perfectly. Turning back to him she nodded her thanks. He then reached into his coat and pulled out a small blade covered in a plain leather sheath.

"Just in case DG."

She nodded again feeling much older than her twenty-one years. She bent down and put the blade in her boot. Straitening she saw Az walking toward them with a pair of scissors. Wincing she walked over to her vanity and sat with her back to her sister.

"Sorry Deege. I'm going to have to cut a lot off. It will be just above your shoulders alright?" Az was more upset about this than she was.

"Its alright Az I've had my hair shorter than that before." This caused her big sis to pause for a moment. She could see the confusion in her eyes reflected in the mirror. "Lots of girls have short hair on the other side. I even had a pixie cut my junior year."

"I thought you said there weren't any fairies on the other side?"

Lips twitching she said, "Never mind just cut it."

The destruction of her hair took only a few minutes. As soon as Az was done she used her magic to blow her cut hair into the fireplace. Glitch tossed her the cap and she tucked what was left of her hair beneath it. Turning back to the mirror she found that this was a truly excellent disguise. Unless someone had actually met her she doubted she would be recognized. And even then they would have to get pretty close.

"Alright I guess I'm ready."

"The rest of your things are hidden in the stables." Glitch said quickly. "We need to get you out of here."

She nearly toppled over when she was unexpectedly side tackled by an Az hug. Regaining her balance she hugged her back furiously.

"I'm so sorry I have to leave you again Az."

"It's alright DG. I don't think you were really all that happy here. Just promise me you will be careful."

"I'll do my best." That was all she would dare to promise her sister. "You make sure to be careful to. And Az I was always happy when you were around."

Her sister finally released her. Glitch grabbed her hand as Az took a hesitant step back. "I'll make sure mom and dad stay out of this Deege. I'll miss you." Then with a wave of her hand, Az transported her and Glitch over a mile away outside the city walls, to the royal stables.

Somehow both of them managed to keep their balance. Glitch muttered something about being thankful for his perfect rhythm. She was thankful for the tight grip on his arm. Glitch moved about the stable with swift efficiency. He dug a tattered looking pack out of a bale of hay and moved toward the back of the long building. She was quick to follow.

At one of the last stalls Glitch stopped and opened the door. He dropped her pack at the base of a nearby wall and reached a long arm toward a dark horse. It was a lovely animal as darkly colored as her hair. It had large liquid black eyes that regarded Glitch with interest. It moved toward the man and plodded obediently out of the enclosure.

The horse had already been tacked and was ready to get moving. It shifted its weight back and forth impatiently. Glitch shoved the reins into her hands, closed the door, and retrieved her pack. Placing it behind the saddle he secured it in place and turned back to her.

"Alright DG I know your not the best rider so I took special care to pick out a good mount for you." Not the best rider was a bit of an understatement but she let it slide with just a raised eyebrow.

"This is Ajax and he is one smart horse. I had him brought from my family's stables a few months ago. My family has been breeding them for more than a few generations. Thankfully the witch didn't know about them when she took over."

Pushing aside that interesting tidbit of family history she latched onto the more important statement. "When you say smart, what exactly do you mean?"

"About as smart a your average person."

"Seriously?"

"Yes and Ajax is the most loyal of the horses that was left on the farm. I told him what happened and he agreed to help you. He will be careful with you in the saddle and protect you when he can. I think he should be able to help you with his tact and grooming. Just keep in mind he has his pride. So be nice."

Alrighty then. That was a horse of an entirely different color. A very smart horse. Which was regarding her with what she swore was an amused expression. This was both amazing and disconcerting. She really just needed to get over this semi-frequent amazement she kept experiencing.

"Well thanks Ajax. I appreciate what you're doing for me. And just so you know I am a horrible rider and tend to get cranky once my butt goes numb."

The horse snorted at that. Then he moved his head up and began to sniff her from her the top of her head all the way down to her boots. His nose was soft and tickled. After he was done he moved so that she was next to the saddle and turned his neck so he could watch her.

"Good he likes you."

"How can you tell?" She was genuinely curious.

"He swished his tale while he was memorizing your sent. You'll get to know him soon enough."

"Thank you Glitch." She meant it more than she could express with words so she reached out and hugged him tightly.

"Be safe Doll. I'm sorry I can't come with you this time."

She felt her eyes prickle. "Just promise you'll take care of Az for me."

"I promise as long as I'm still breathing nothing will hurt your sister."

She broke away from him and hauled herself into the saddle. Ajax turned and handed the reins to her with his mouth. That was going to take getting used to. She looked down at the first friend she made in the O.Z.

"Bye Glitch." Ok she couldn't help herself as she grinned down at him. "By the way if I find out you broke my sisters heart after you made her a woman consider yourself breakfast for the Papay. Lets go Ajax."

Her last glimpse of Glitch as Ajax trotted out into the dark was one she would remember. His pale skin was flushed to the roots of his hair and he looked downright flabbergasted. Oh yeah, that look almost made fleeing the city worthwhile.

She thought about that hours later after a hellish night of riding. Not an hour outside of the city Ajax had stopped in the middle of the brick route. His ears had gone up and flicked in every direction. Before she could ask what he was doing he had walked off the road. He carefully picked his way deep into the underbrush behind a great fallen tree.

When she had finally asked what they were doing he had made a strange wuffling noise and shook his neck. She looked at the back of his head. She wished she spoke horse. He wasn't moving. She waited. Not thirty seconds later she heard hoof beats on the road.

She bent over the saddle to make herself as small as possible. Straining her eyes she waited for the riders to come into view. When they moved past she held her breath. Five Longcoats moved swiftly past their hiding place. They were watchful and had obviously seen better days. Thankfully she and her dark horse went unnoticed. A few minutes later Ajax moved back to the road and continued on. At a faster and more jarring clip than before.

That had been one of the seven detours into the forest they had made that night. Three others had been the result of either Longcoats or other questionable travelers. Two had been false alarms, and the last had been because of a heard of deer. By the time the suns rose and the Fields of the Papay came into view she was sore and utterly exhausted.

Thinking back she concluded that bossy dreams, magic fights, emotional loss, crying jags, and eight hours in the saddle was not the way to prepare for most certainly life threatening journey. The fact that she had only had two hours of sleep in as many days didn't help either. She really needed to start planning better. On the other hand Glitch had packed her munchies. So it wasn't all bad right?

But no matter now they had made it! Oh yeah! Take that scary Longcoats! "Ajax way to go! You've got to be the best horse ever!" She said as she dismounted.

The horse whinnied and pressed his head against her chest. Scratching his ears she decided she like making new friends, especially the fuzzy kind.

And then, of course, the bottom dropped out. Fifty feet away a familiar young man sprinted out of the orchard. Before he made it more than a few lengths two cloaked mages materialized in front of him. As he skidded to a halt and pulled out two wicked looking blades she saw a third figure glide out of the orchard behind him. Oh bad day.

She made a decision in less time than it took to blink. Gathering her magic she ran at the foursome and called out a warning. "Jeb Cain duck and cover!"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

If nothing else her shout distracted the hooded figures. She was also pleased to note that her warning had not caught Jeb off guard. Without hesitation he had dropped and rolled, effectively getting out of the way. She thanked any higher power that was paying attention that Jeb listened to her better than his father.

As soon as he hit the ground she let loose a shock wave at shoulder height. It knocked two of the mages back but the third threw up a shield. She turned her attention to the one still standing, assuming that it was the biggest threat to their survival at the moment.

Silver light danced between her fingers as dark shadows swirled around his stippled grey hands. Power erupted from both of them and hit with bang. The force of their magic pushed her backward and her boots slid into the soft mud as she fought to stay upright. She shoved harder and her light broke through and slammed into her opponent. He hit the ground and didn't move.

Turning back toward Jeb she flinched at the gory mess. One of the hooded figures lay slashed and bloody with one of Jeb's knives sticking out of its hood. The young man's arm was bleeding profusely and he was looking down at the body at his feet with disgust.

To his left the third body was now nothing more than a pulpy lump. Ajax sidled away from it and began to brush his hooves on the grass. His tail flicked in agitation as he shook his entire body.

Her body trembled. She had used too much magic and her body was going to give out on her soon. Before her breathing could return to normal she felt the increasingly familiar dark magic gathering between Ajax and Jeb.

She didn't have time to shout out a second warning. Three more figures solidified around them. She felt two spells released at the resistance fighter. Two fireballs flew at him. For lack of a better idea she used her magic to shift their trajectory toward her. She shoved her hand out in a ditch attempt to stop them from colliding with her body.

The half formed shield she managed to erect was at least partially effective. She managed to stop the fire from engulfing her but couldn't stop the scream that erupted from her when she felt her palm start to sizzle and blister from the intense heat.

She never had a chance to recover as the third cloaked figure realizing that she was the biggest threat. He released a pulse of electricity that hit her half a moment after the fireballs. The force of it tossed her several feet to the wet earth and her momentum had her tumbling head over heals across the ground. She finally stopped when she hit an outlying tree from the orchard.

She laid half stunned as residual electricity coursed painfully through her body. Managing to tilt her head up she watched as two of the mages drew nearer. Calling to her magic she could barely feel a spark. She had tapped herself out. Desperation had her trying to get her legs and arms to move.

She realized as the taller of the beings took a step forward raising a darkly pulsing hand at her that she was going to die. Her magic was exhausted and she could barely move. Az was going to be so upset when she found out she had gone and died less than a day after she left.

That was when she heard two gunshots go off in rapid succession. The taller figure collapsed not a foot away from her without a sound and the smaller whirled toward the noise. Before his rotation had been completed he was grabbed around the neck by two furry hands. With a roar of rage Raw snap his neck.

Oh good Raw and Cain were here. The last thought she had before she blacked from the pain was that this was going to be super fun to explain.

Someone was next to her. She sensed them and jerked awake. She lashed out in her surprise and felt her fist connect solidly with someone's jaw. She scrambled backward was engulfed in two soft fuzzy arms. She noticed it was dark out again.

"Oww!" She heard Jeb yelp.

"Damn it all! You can't just sneak up on a girl like that!" She was not amused.

Jeb sat on the ground rubbing his jaw. "Where did you learn to hit like that Princess?"

Raw's low laugh rumbled through her. She was all but sitting in his lap. She shifted to sit next to him but held onto one of his hands. The blisters on her hand were gone. The seer must have healed her. She leaned against him. Raw made her feel safe. That was a feeling she hadn't had in a few days.

Raw must have felt her fright because he stopped laughing and turned to regard her. She felt the seer pushing calm emotions toward her and felt her body relaxing.

"A better question for the Princess would be why she is out in the Papay fields all alone." Cain's voice was level but had a steel edge to it as he walked out of the shadows with his arms full of firewood. He was dressed as he had been for their journey. Hat and all. The tone of his voice made her angry that she used to think his pants were made by the most gifted seamstress in the O.Z.

Ice blue eyes met hers. She could feel his anger like a slap to her face. She bristled. How dare he assume that she had just frolicked out here with no thought to what she was doing. He had no right to be angry with her after he had up a left without even a word! Her emotions rollercoastered from anger at his tone, relief that he was there, and panic at her situation.

"Cain calm!" Raw growled at the Tin Man. His eyes shifted to the normally passive seer in surprise. "DG scared… grieving."

Sharp eyes turned back to look at her. She saw his worry and looked away. She pressed closer to Raw as her anger drained away. Cain moved across the campsite in few strides and bent down in front of her on one knee.

"What happened DG?" His voice had softened and he reached out to touch her cheek.

She jerked away from him and nearly hid behind Raw to stop him from touching her. She had a very strong suspicion as to why Cain was here. And seeing as she had touched both Jeb and Raw and well, nothing weird had happened. Even she could do that kind of math. Cain needed another worry in his life the way she needed to see any more of those Shadow things.

Cain pulled his hand back. Before he could hide it she saw several emotions flicker across his face. Rejection and worry were the most prominent. His eyes flicked to where Jeb was sitting then to the newly forming bruise on his jaw. He turned back to her and she knew what conclusion he had come to. Rage flashed across his features and she saw him clench his jaw. She realized what her actions toward the two men must look like.

Raw must have seen what he was thinking. "DG heart hurt. Just not like Cain think."

She saw the man relax visibly as he lowered his head. He moved away from her and settled next to his son. When he looked back up at her his eyes were devoid of any emotion. He had the same expression on his face as when she had let him out of the metal suit.

"What happened Princess?"

No point in beating about the bush. She dropped her eyes away again and felt like a coward. "Toto's dead."

The campsite stilled. She closed her eyes trying to push the image of her hands soaked in her teachers' blood away.

Jeb broke the silence, "What happened?"

She stayed silent for a long moment. What could she say? To little and they would ask more questions. To much and she had a feeling Cain would knock her out and drag her back to the palace. Assuming Ajax didn't kick him in the head. She remembered someone told her once that the best lie was based on the truth.

"One of those hooded guys got into the library during my lessons. It stabbed Toto." She stopped feeling queasy. "I killed the mage but couldn't stop Toto from bleeding. Glitch and Az thought it would be safer for me to leave. He gave me Ajax's last night and we ran." There all true, just severely edited.

Raw stroked her hand. "Toto brave. Kept DG safe. Do good."

She pulled away from Raw. Toto had died to keep her safe. She nearly destroyed the O.Z. by releasing the witch. Hundreds if not thousands had died because of her stupidity. And her teacher had died to keep her, the catalyst of all the dark years, safe. In that instant she hated herself and her inability to change the past. She needed space.

Standing she walked out of the camp without a word. If Cain tried to follow Raw must have stopped him. She didn't wander far. She knew what could happen if she did. Instead she went to the dark shape a few yards out. The horse turned and immediately nuzzled her.

"Hey Ajax. Are you alright?" She ran her hands over his face and moved to his side to check him over. He appeared to be in better shape than she was. His saddle, blanket, and bridle were unaccounted for. She figured they were around somewhere.

She sighed leaning against his side. "I realize this thing between us is a bit new. And I don't want to scare you off with this. But I think I may love you."

He whinnied. She smiled against his side. At least her horse had a sense of humor.

"You're talking to your horse now Kiddo?" Cain had escaped from Raw. His voice was much less hostile. She wasn't going to fall for it. And she was absolutely not going to turn around. One look in her eyes and he would be able to tell if she was lying.

"Go away Cain. And stop calling me that." Ajax snorted and his laid his ears flat against his head. He was not impressed with the Tin Man.

"Have you ever seen me walk away from a fight DG?"

"No but you sure walked away from me as soon as you could." The bitterness in her words must have stung him. She heard him move closer. She finally turned around to keep him in her sights.

He reached out for her hand and she pressed back into Ajax who bared his teeth at the man. Cain didn't notice he was to busy looking at her in the way that made her feel like he had x-ray vision. "Look kid-"

"Don't touch me!"

He lost all patience with her at that and grabbed her by the wrist intending, she assumed, to give her a piece of his mind. Instead a large blue spark flew from her wrist up his arm and into his shoulder. He let out a very unmanly yelp, released her and began to swat at it.

"What the hell!?!"

His shout had Raw and Jeb running to them. Jeb had his knives out and looked ready for a fight. Raw was whipping his head between them. And Ajax was making snickering noises behind her. She hit herself on the forehead with her palm out of pure frustration.

Once he was done bating at his shoulder she let out a frustrated growl and stomped up to him. Personal boundaries forgotten she grabbed him by the collar and yanked the material down and away from his body. She couldn't make out the details in the dark but Wyatt Cain was sporting a brand new tattoo.

"And you say I don't listen! What were you thinking?" Why. Why did her guardian have to be the most stubborn man she had ever met?

He spotted what was she was inspecting on his shoulder and disentangled her hand from his clothing.

"What did you do to me?" He was angry again. Big surprise.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I still own nothing. Pity that.

She glared at him indignantly. "I didn't do anything! Your the one that decided to get handsy!"

Jeb coughed uncomfortably. "Could we talk about this by the fire? Where we can all… see what's going on?" His voice was slightly strangled.

"Fine!" She pushed past them and walked back into camp. Sitting down with a thump she consider the positives and negatives of throwing a temper tantrum. Ahh screw it she would save that for later.

The three men followed closely behind. Raw took his previous position next to her while Jeb sat on the other side of the fire. The elder Cain stood glaring down at her. He was absent-mindedly rubbing his abused skin. Sympathy was sorely lacking on her part. For heavens sake her nightgown had caught on fire! There was no justice in this world.

She huffed at him then turned her head back toward her four-legged friend. "Ajax I'm going to put up a one way silencing spell around the camp. Can you keep watch for about an hour?"

When he whinnied loudly in reply all eyes turned toward her.

"He says yes." Raw commented with a blink.

"Well duh." Turning her thoughts inward she pulled at her magic. It was still weak but useable. Concentrating she formed a softly glowing globe around the camp. Shoot. Gazing up at the barrier she flicked her fingers and the glow disappeared. Much better.

"Not going to ask the horse in for a chat?" Cain asked caustically.

Ignoring his snarking she replied seriously. "No, for one we need a lookout. And anyway he already knows what's happening."

Cain's nostrils flared. "And what exactly is that Princess?"

She was getting sick of that title. "Two days ago the O.Z. decided it needed a doctor and drafted me. You, Mr. Cain are my non-optional health plan."

His eyes narrowed, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Shaking her jacket off and unbuttoning the upper part of her shirt she showed him her mark. "I'm rather afraid that means you're stuck with me."

Cain's head jerked up when he saw the mark and Jeb's jaw dropped. Wow she got both Cain men with just a flash of her upper arm. Didn't even have to bare an ankle. Go DG.

"Sweet Ozma! The O.Z. marked you?" Jeb sounded impressed. "What did it title you?"

Bewildered by his insightful question she blurted out the answer. "Healer."

"That makes good sense considering the beating its taken over the last fifteen annuals." Jeb replied.

"Why Cain marked as well?" Raw cocked his head to the side.

"I told the O.Z. I wasn't going to run a suicide mission. When I pointed out the Longcoat factor it came up with a solution. Stupid really. It said I needed a guardian and we would be bound together. I guess it thought Cain was the man for the job."

Immediately she was aware she had said something terribly awkward. Raw snorted and put a paw in front of his face. It appeared that Jeb's eyes were dangerously close to popping out of his head. And Cain had pulled his fedora down to cover his blush. Wait. Why was Cain blushing?

"Alright what crazily upsetting thing did I say this time?"

Jeb looked up at his father then back to her. "You're… it said…there is no way."

Alarms started going off in her head. Over the last few months she had gotten used to people giving her odd looks. Usually these looks were followed by a polite explanation as to why whatever she had done or said was socially frowned upon. But never once had she made anyone start to babble incoherently.

She turned to Raw baffled. "DG and Cain bound."

"Uh yeah I know. The O.Z. told me." They had lost her.

Raw twitched and glanced back at the Tin Man. "Binding rare. Only happen twice that Raw know of."

"And this would mean…"

"We are now considered life mates." Cain answered her question gruffly.

She must have misheard that last part. "Excuse me?" Her question was met with blue eyes and silence.

Oh do not freak out. Do not freak out. This cannot mean what you think it means! "So what the Outer Zone married us?" It came out as a half muffled shriek.

Raw answered this one. "No DG. Marriage can break. End. Binding forever."

She closed her eyes and focused on breathing. This was so not alright. Opening her eyes she refocused on Cain. She had no idea what to say. He reached up and readjusted his hat. In the firelight she could see his silver wedding band flash. Guilt at what she had inadvertently done caught in her chest. This was not how she had wanted Cain. Not while he was still grieving for Adora. Not in front of his son.

Not that she had actually expected to get him. He had left her. All she ever expected after that were frustrating fantasies that left her cold at night. But those dreams had involved laughter and love. She had imagined soft touches and some not so soft touches. This felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. She had betrayed him.

"I… I'm sorry." Her voice quavered. "I just…Glitch didn't say… I would have never," She stopped.

If they were bound then he would have to go with her. She had figured on company. Admittedly not his but still. Once she had realized that he was her intended guardian she had tried to avoid him. Once he was marked her back up plan had been to sneak out of camp once the other three were asleep. At that thought her tattoo burned. Cain hissed and rubbed his shoulder in surprise.

"You can't run from this Princess." He sounded furious. She couldn't blame him.

"How did you-?"

"We're bound!" His voice snapped across the fire at her.

For the first time since they had met she shrank away from him. He had never once scared her until that moment. Her mark burned again. This was going to get old fast.

"Damn it all. I'm sorry kid. I'm not angry with you." His voice gentled. That surprised her. She rather thought she deserved to be shouted at.

Jeb and Raw had watched their half spoken exchange in awe. Jeb seemed confused by the whole interaction and Raw was most likely shocked to see non-viewers communicating on this level.

Cain sighed heavily. "What do you have to do kid? Other than finding me."

She was worried he had taken this situation a little to well. He should be ranting by this point. He had to be holding something back. In fact she was relatively sure it was only a matter of time before his metaphorical tin armor cracked. That was going to be an unpleasant scene. But for now she thought antagonizing the man was a poor choice.

"I have to bring the fields back to life. After that I don't know. I guess the Outer Zone will tell me when I'm done here."

He nodded at her and then regarded his son. "We were supposed to met your group in two days in the lake country. Doesn't look like I'll be going."

Her stomach twisted into a tighter knot. Her fault again. Raw grabbed her hand in order to sooth her. His gift made the knot loosen a fraction.

Jeb nodded his understanding. "Raw?"

"Raw go with Jeb. Fighters need healer. That is Raws' place for now."

"Alright lets get some rest while we can then. Drop your magic Princess and tell your horse to relax. I'll take first watch."

She did as he asked and her magic shimmered away into the night. "Thanks Ajax! We're all set."

Ajax stopped grazing and moved toward her voice. Cain moved out to the edge of the trees and took his place. He stood stiffly and never once looked back. Ajax neared her and butted her head gently with his nose before turning to regard the healer.

Raw extended his hand and waited for the animal to make up its mind. Ajax flicked his ears at the man and then pressed his velvet face to Raw's palm. "Clever horse. Likes DG and her humor. Glad to be out of stables. Adventurous. Joker." Raw smiled at the last part.

That was heartening. At least she wasn't boring the horse to death. She was going to put that in the "good things about today list," along with not dying. With that thought she dug a blanket out of her pack and whispered goodnight to her companions. She hoped that tomorrow would be a better day than this one had. And once she and Cain were alone she had some questions that needed clearing up.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Oh wait, hold on…. Nope still don't own it.

The next morning came to soon. She may have slept most of the last day away but she hadn't spent it on a feather bed. Twelve hours on the ground after eight hours in the saddle had left her stiff and sore. When Raw had shaken her awake she was less than pleased. She sat up and groaned when she felt her back crack.

"Mornin' Princess." Jeb said in a far to perky manner.

"Hey Jeb." She yawned, "What's up?" He glanced toward the sky with a quizzical eye. She shook her head.

He would be a morning person. Then again she should consider changing her sleeping habits. Two years of not sleeping because of her work and school schedule had helped her midnight magic binges in the library. But she doubted that it would help her relationship with Cain. He would be less than thrilled with her night owl tendencies. She just had this gut feeling about it.

Stretching she moved around gathering what few items she possessed and stashing them into her bag. Folding her blanket she searched the area for Ajax's tact. She spotted the saddle lying next to a tree. Considering her options she decided bringing the horse to the gear would be easier on her arms.

Wishing for a cup of coffee she wondered which way her horse had gone. Raw sensed what she was after and pointed a hand toward the edge of the tree line. Smiling her thanks she went to get him. She heard Raw chuckling behind her. Whatever.

Walking out of the tree line she understood why Raw had been laughing. Ajax was happily prancing just out of Cain's reach with his hat between his teeth. Cain may have been in good shape but the young horse easily outpaced him. As Cain lunged at his fedora Ajax wheeled to the left and caught sight of her.

His tail swung up high and his ears flipped up. Ignoring the flushed and cursing man who jumped at him he walked toward her bowling the Tin Man over in the process. She was torn between falling over with laughter and holding it back to stop Cain from going into further rage.

Ajax stopped in front of her and raised his head above hers. He dropped the hat on top of her head. Turning his head in time see Cain storming closer to them he acted. Swinging his dark head behind her body and stepping to the right he shoved her straight into the mans' chest.

"Whoa!"

She slammed into Cain and bounced backwards. She closed her eyes expecting to hit the ground. Before she got closely acquainted with it, Cain grabbed her wrist with one hand pulling her back up and wrapping his other arm around her back. Opening one eye she found herself face to face with the collar of his shirt.

She was disturbed to find herself suddenly frozen by the sight of blond hair peeking out from beneath his open collar. She sucked in a breath to orientate herself only to be hit with the smell of sweat, earth, gunpowder and something entirely Cain. Her mind went blank.

Cain let her go and moved back. His anger over his hat seemed to have been forgotten as he met what she could only assumed was her glazed expression. Stormy blue eyes cleared and his lips pulled up at one corner. Realizing she must appear ridiculous she fought to break through the slight fog that had so rudely impaired her thinking.

"You all right there kid?" Amusement was thick in his voice.

Just act natural. Be cool. "Uhh sure." Well-done DG, very smooth.

"Good, grab that flee bag so we can get down the road." As he walked past her he grabbed his hat off her head and placed it back on his. "And horse, do that again and I will shoot you." Ajax pawed the ground nickering at him pathetically. "Oh no we won't be playing that game partner. I know your type."

She waited for him to walk out of sight before she moved. Turning to Ajax who was gazing at her sheepishly she put her hands on her hips. "That was a dirty trick."

He whuffled.

"Not that I minded…much. But this isn't about me and my needs Jaxy."

Ajax snorted in disbelief.

"This is about your safety. Not to mention the aesthetic value of the hat." She held up a hand. "Wait, Wait let me explain. Removing the hat would be like me cutting off that long silky tail of yours. What would the fillies think?"

He considered this.

"So could you leave the hat alone?"

Ajax sighed then lowered his head in compliance.

"Alright lets go. If it makes you feel better you can mess with anything but the hat."

She figured that perked him right up seeing as he started prancing around her. The two made it back into camp in time to see the two Cain men hug. Another goodbye. These were beginning to get depressing. Figuring they could use a few moments of privacy she turned away.

Moving to Ajax's gear she threw the blanket over his back and bent down to retrieve the saddle. Two furry hands grabbed the back of it. She grinned at Raw as they threw the saddle over Ajax. Bending over she proceeded to clip and tie it into place. She only messed up one buckle and Ajax was quick to point out the mistake.

While she placed the bridle over his head Raw secured her pack and Cain's behind the leather seat. Finished she patted his face and went to Raw. She hugged him without hesitation.

Raw rumbled. "DG not worry Cain keep safe."

"Its not the dangers of the O.Z. I'm worried about. Witches and Longcoats no problem. An annoyed Tin Man could be potentially fatal to my emotional well-being. Last time I was stumbling around the O.Z. I had you and Glitch as a buffer."

"DG being silly. Cain not angry with Princess. Cain angry at circumstance. Will be calm soon."

"Yeah until then it's going to be a friggin great trip. After all Cain takes change so well."

At that Raw laughed. "Will miss DG's honesty. Only human Raw ever met who says what heart feels."

"Everyone ready over there?" The Cain men must have finished their farewell.

"As ready as we'll ever be."

She gave Raw one last hug and grabbed the reins. To her surprise Jeb gave her a one armed hug. Before he pulled away he murmured quietly in her ear.

"Take care of him. He just doesn't know how to handle you. Give him time."

Relieved by the tactful acceptance of the situation she hugged him back. "Thanks Jeb. I'll keep that in mind."

Cain gripped Raw's hand and patted Jeb on the back after she had released him. "Be careful Son. And keep the Furball out of trouble."

"You say that like I've been in trouble before." Jeb replied cheekily. "Besides I'm not the one that's been bound to a willful Princess." His father raided an eyebrow.

"Alright off you go before I have to tell them what I found under your bed when you were seven." Jeb colored a brilliant shade of red. Waving he all but jogged out of the Papay fields. Raw grinned and with a shake of his head went after the young freedom fighter.

"Alright Princess lead the way."

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. In her mind they had two options and she wasn't keen on either one. Her mark tingled.

"What is it Kid?"

Damn it all. This reading her mind thing needed to stop now. It made her feel entirely exposed. And his persistence was not making her feel any better about how to break the news.

Cain grabbed her shoulder and shook her lightly. "Calm down DG. Your so jittery your making me feel like the Mystic Man on vapors."

"Sorry! I don't like having you hearing what I'm thinking. It freaks me out!"

Cain let go of her and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You actually have no idea what's happening between us do you?"

"What was your first clue Cain?!? Was it the total indifference about the bonding question or the babbling when you said we were life mates! I wish people would stop assuming that I know everything about this place. I grew up in Kansas! The land of flatness and truckers! No magic! No fairies! No zipperheads or viewers or-"

He clapped a calloused hand over her mouth. "Alright!"

Indignant she tried to bite him. Before she could her mark tingled and he snatched his hand away. "Stop it DG!"

The use of her real name made her stop. She still glared at him. He wasn't getting off that easy.

"Once we set up camp tonight I'll give you a history lesson alright? And for the record I can't hear your thoughts. I just keep gettin a glimpse of what your feelin. It helps that I knew how to read your body language before this thing happened."

She eyed him carefully before jerking her head in acceptance.

"Then what else had you in a tizzy?"

"I have two choices for you. I can either heal the fields all at once or in sections."

"Uhuh?"

"If I heal the whole thing my magic will be gone until I can sleep off the drain. If I do it in sections I'm afraid those mages might show up and figure out who I am."

"Sounds safer if you do it all at once then. The Fleabag can carry us out."

Ajax snorted moving to bite but DG yanked on his bridal. She didn't want Cain to go back on the promise of a history lesson.

Shifting back to her other foot she said. "I won't be able to stop them from hurting you if I run out of magic."

"You worried about me Princess?" Something flashed in his eyes. It made her knees feel weak.

"Please. What do you want to do oh great and noble guardian?"

"Can you heal it from anywhere?"

"Sure as long as I'm in the fields."

He gazed up at the trees thinking. "Ok we should head west across the fields. If you can fix em from there we can go straight into the woods. I know of a resistance safe spot we can hide in for a time."

"Sound like a plan. Lets go."

Apparently Ajax took that as a sign to leave and headed west. She decided that holding onto his reins should be avoided whenever possible. When he left he spun her in a circle and she staggered to stay up after her legs crossed. Cain let out a bark of laughter. She reoriented herself with what dignity she had left and trailed after her horse shouting.

"Hey the rider is supposed to lead!"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Sometimes I wished I owned something. But alas this is a poor girl's dream.

After her terribly graceful start, the walk was silent. Cain, it appeared, had not gotten anymore effusive in the time they had spent apart. It took two hours for her to lose the battle and ask a question.

"Cain?"

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, she had the feeling he had been giving himself odds over how long she would remain silent. "Yes, princess?"

Irksome man! If he wanted to play this game, then fine. Mock civility suited her. She had lots of practice working in the diner and more recently with politicians.

"Why are we still whole and unmolested? We are in the Papay fields. We should be running for our lives by now."

"That's probably true."

She waited. He wasn't going to elaborate. She felt her eye twitch.

"Then why haven't they attacked?"

"Either they remember what you did before the eclipse or they know what you are. They have a deeper connection to the land than we do. Besides, there is a runner pack tracking us."

"Oh, awesome," She went quiet again, thinking. If the Papay could tell she had been marked then who else would be able to? Her magic was strong, but it certainly wasn't the only type found in the O.Z. She had read more than one book about the specialized magic the tribes here possessed.

She wanted to ask about that but paranoia had set in. After the attack on Jeb she was worried that more Shadows could be lurking near enough to hear any conversation they had. She would just have to wait until they made camp. No matter, she had other curiosities that could be satisfied.

"Why were the three of you out here without the rest of Jeb's militia?"

Cain's posture changed. He went stiff as if he were expecting a blow to fall out of the sky. "Jeb's fighters and a group of reinstated Tin Men have been herding Longcoats out of the north country. We'd been picking them off for weeks. Once we made it back here I decided to take a detour. Jeb and Raw insisted on coming along."

"A detour? Cain, you don't _do_ detours." His gun hand twitched and his pace sped up almost imperceptibly. If she didn't know better she would think he was running. She just couldn't figure out why. What did Cain have to worry about? Then their location hit home.

She reached out to grab his arm before thinking better of it. "You went to destroy the suit." It wasn't a question. She hadn't said it as one.

"Let it lie, Kid."

In that moment she would have done anything to comfort him. She even forgot to be mad at him for leaving. For using that hated nickname. So she did what he asked, feeling like an intruder in his life. Worst of all, she felt helplessly responsible.

He must have felt that last thing because he stopped dead and turned fully to face her. Realizing what had happened, she frantically thrust every emotion she was feeling to the back of her mind. She did _not_ want to have this conversation. He wasn't the _only _one with an open wound.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" His eyes pierced hers and she put on her blank expression. It was her last defense against him.

Before she could come up with any form of response, Ajax neighed happily ahead of them. She sidestepped Cain and saw an end to the trees. She thanked her lucky stars for that. They had made it to the western edge faster than she had thought they could.

Before she went more than a few steps he grabbed her arm. Her head whipped back.

"You need to talk about this." Great, he had pulled out the worried eyes. Before she could fall under their promise of comfort, she twisted out of his grasp.

"No, I need to heal the fields." It was flat and tired and her coldness worried her a little.

His eyes told her this talk they were having was far from over but, for the moment, he let her go. "Best get started then."

Settling herself cross-legged between two of the outermost trees she tried to relax. Cain pulled his six-shooter from its holster and stood at her shoulder, alert and ready. Ajax took position as rear guard and waited between them and the small meadow that separated the orchard from the forest.

Clearing her mind, she focused fully on her magic. Falling into her light she felt the Outer Zone watching her. Her tattoo sent warm waves through her body. It took her a moment to realize what the O.Z. was suggesting. She started sending her light out in soft but insistent pulses.

Once she got used to the feeling of her magic ebbing out of her, she opened her eyes languidly. Even as her body started to slump she found the process fascinating. Ripples of silver energy moved through the fields. As they slid past the untouched trees, part of the energy was absorbed at the base. Then the trees began to glow silver that melted into green. They were starting to bloom.

Seeing it happen on such a large scale was breathtaking. She nearly lost control of the spell but the O.Z. gave her a mental poke and she turned back to her task. As the last of her magic was drained away the smell of the new blossoms filled the air.

"You never cease to amaze me, Princess." She could hear the smile in his voice.

"I aim to please." Uncrossing her leg she pushed up, or tried to. Her arms felt like rubber bands. "Crap."

The next thing she knew two arms were placed under hers and she was tugged up. Cain held her back to chest while she tried to get her legs to work. "Come here, Fleabag!" There was no malice in his voice.

Ajax trotted over and stood stock still as Cain picked her up and threw her on the saddle. "Hey! I'm not a sack of potatoes!"

"How true. Potatoes don't talk."

The sarcastic response she had planned never left her lips. Cain's eyes froze behind her and he raised his gun. He got off two shots as he leapt onto Ajax behind her. Turning she spied one hooded figure twitching on the ground and a second rising up next to it.

"Go, Horse!"

To his credit, Ajax did try but two more figures blocked their path. Wheeling hard to the left he spun them around and kicked the closer of the mages in the head. Cain kept his bearings. Lifting his hand to get off another shot she managed to throw her weight on his arm. His shot hit the ground close to them but missed the sprinting Papay that hit the mage he was aiming at with its full weight.

The remaining mage stayed up for only a second more before it too was tackled to the ground by a snarling bug bush. She had never particularly wanted to find out if Cain's story about the gnawing Papay was true. But she found out anyway.

Half a dozen more of the creatures came out of the blooming trees. The one that had attacked first lowered its blood soaked face to the ground in one of their spindly bows. He gave a barking whistle and the others proceed to drag what was left of the Shadows into the now shaded orchard.

"Cain, can we go? Please." Her voice broke half way through the request. She was fairly certain that if they didn't leave soon she was going to be sick.

"Yeah, Kid, we sure can." He tapped Ajax with his heal and the horse cantered into the woods. Cain had the reins in one hand and his other arm was wrapped firmly around her waist. He guided the horse with small tugs. Just enough to let Ajax know what direction they needed to go.

"You alright, Darlin? You're shaking like a leaf." He wasn't wrong. She was exhausted and sickened by what she had just seen. But she still had her pride.

"I'm fine." It was the most coherent thing she could come up with. Her mind was slowing down as her adrenaline crashed. Wait, had he just called her darling?

Cain snorted and pulled her closer. "It won't take us long to get to the hide."

She didn't answer she figured it would be smarter to try to stay upright in the saddle. After ten minutes she stopped trying to control the tremors. Twenty minutes after that she stopped trying to avoid using Cain as a backrest.

By the time Cain pulled Ajax to a stop her head was tucked snugly beneath his chin. The forest was blurring in and out of focus. With what energy she had left she tried to remain conscious. So tired.

Cain kept an arm around her as he dismounted. She listed dangerously to the side and would have fallen despite the hold he had on her if Ajax hadn't been paying attention. The horse swung his head around and pushed her back upright.

"Alright, Princess, time to get you to bed." He pulled her out of the saddle and into his arms. He carried her bridal style to a rocky outcrop and set her down. She thought she should be offended or flattered by this act but just felt numb. He then straightened and reached up to a small rock protruding from the hill.

When he touched it she felt an alien magic scan him. She felt a momentary panic and tried weakly to yank him away from it. He shot her a surprised look.

"Calm down, Princess, its hedge witch magic. It's making sure I'm part of the resistance."

As soon as the magic started it stopped. The rock wall gave an odd hum and melted away. Cain bent over and picked her back up. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she saw that the wall had been hiding a large cavern. It looked a great deal like the inside of a one-room house except the walls were made of stone instead of wood. Wow.

"Come in, horse. The wall's gonna close soon."

Ajax stuck his head in cautiously before entering fully. He sniffed the air and sneezed when he inhaled too many dust bunnies. Behind him the wall closed back like fast growing ivy.

Cain moved to the back and laid her down in a small cot. He removed her boots and pushed her short hair away from her face. Her eyes fluttered open and closed. They were just _so_ heavy.

"Go to sleep, Princess. We can talk when you wake up."

She wished she had enough energy to reply. Instead, she felt sleep drag her under its spell.

Author Note: Special thanks to my new beta Rose! She has kindly offered her assistance in this little adventure and is going through previous chapters to fix my mistakes. Hopefully I will be able to repost previous chapters and they will be all new and shiny. Woot!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own nothing but am still waiting to hear about the hat.

This time she knew that she was dreaming. She sat with her back resting against a fallen statue. It may have been a lion at one point but it was too worn to tell. When she moved her eyes up she could see the dark outline of a ruin. It was a massive building with stone steps leading to the entrance.

She could make out few details in the starlight but the shape of it made her think of a museum she had seen on TV. It had pillars and great windows that reminded her of dark eyes. In the distance she heard a river and the sounds of frogs.

_You have made a good beginning._

"Gee, thanks."

_You are not pleased with what you have accomplished?_

"I'm not pleased that my teacher is dead."

_That was unfortunate. Had we known they were so close we would have warned you._

"Unfortunate? He was my friend!"

_Nothing can be done now. You must continue your task._

"And if I don't? You put more than just me in danger!" She was afraid for Cain.

_Your guardian should protect you. You do not get to change your goal. You have a task and he has another. _

"Yes, a task he has been forced into accepting! You had to be aware that I didn't know what bonding entailed! You tricked me! I have half a mind to leave you to rot!"

The O.Z. raged at her. She felt the wind pick up and rough grains of sand sting her face. Lightning flashed above her. She was not about to back down.

"That's enough!" She snarled at it. "As I recall, you said you were mine! Keep this up and I will destroy you myself! What the witch did won't feel near as bad as what I will do!"

_We helped you to escape the life you refused! You dare to threaten us?_

"No, I don't threaten, I promise! Listen up, I don't break a promise!"

The wind dropped and the sky cleared abruptly. It had recognized her power.

_What do you want?_

"Your honesty!"

_Agreed._

She took a deep breath. "What are those mages and how do they keep finding me?"

_They were once men. They have been corrupted by the darkness. This place you see around you has been chosen for a reason. You will be able to find answers within it once it has been cleansed._

Cold shot up her spine. If they had been human then who had they been? What had happened to them? "And how do they keep finding me?"

_One Princess will be drawn to light the other drawn to dark. Do you think it only works going one way? They sense you the way a moth senses a flame. And like a moth they burn when they get too near._

Then her fears about her childhood mishap were true. She was the one drawn to the dark. "Are we done here?"

_For now._

The landscape shimmered out of existence and she slipped back into darkness. She opened her eyes and waited for them to adjust to the dimly lit cave. She was curled into a tight ball facing away from the room. She was still tired. She could hear Ajax's deep breathing and the sound of scraping metal.

Turning over, she could survey the resistance hideout. An oil lamp was hanging from the ceiling. Its glow covered the room in a soft yellow light. Her cot was in the back corner of the cave. She could see a few crates and a wooded chair sitting along the wall closest to her head. Ajax was standing near the magicked wall with their gear dozing on his feet.

She sat up carefully. Looking over her toes she could see Cain standing with his duster and hat off in front of a battered stove stirring something. She thought he looked bizarrely domestic with his sleeves rolled up. It was not the mental picture she drew up when thinking about the man. However, whatever he was cooking smelled delicious. She came to the conclusion she hadn't eaten in a while.

"Is it done yet?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice.

"How long have you been awake?" His eyes checked her over.

"I just woke up. How long have I been sleeping?"

"Not more than four hours. I figured you would be out till tomorrow."

She shrugged. "Hungry." After that dream she doubted she'd be able to fall back asleep easily. Food was distracting. Besides, she rarely slept more than that now anyway. Not counting yesterday, that is.

Reaching over, Cain grabbed two beaten metal bowls and scooped whatever he was cooking into them. Walking over to her he handed her a bowl and spoon. He turned back to the stove grabbed his own bowl and a canteen. He returned to her, hooked one booted foot around the old chair and dragged it close to the cot. He sat down as she pulled her legs up to her chest and leaned back against the wall.

The stew was delicious. After the first few mouthfuls she slowed down enough to ask a question. "Who made this place?"

"Every now and then the resistance fighters would come across a hedgewitch. If they were feeling generous and the fighters had supplies to trade they could get them to make a few of these places."

For once she didn't need to ask for clarification. She had met a hedgewitch about a month ago in a meeting with her mother. The hedgewitch had been lovely enough to take her breath away. As tall as her shoulder and thin as a whip she was dark skinned and beautiful. With large green, almond shaped eyes and equally green hair she thought she was hallucinating.

When she had excitedly told Az about the waif later that day her sister actually laughed. It was a rare occurrence for Az after the witch had left her body and for once she didn't mind feeling foolish about the workings of the O.Z. After Az had caught her breath she had explained that a headgewitch was one of a dozen fairy types found in the kingdom. One thing they all had in common was an innate knowledge of illusions.

"Cool. Why didn't we stop in one of these before the eclipse?" This would have made life so much better.

"They change locations every annual or so. I didn't know where to find any of them."

She winced. Good job. Insert foot into mouth. "Sorry."

Cain took the now empty bowl from her hand and set it and his on the crates. "You couldn't have known, Kid. Now, I think I promised you a history lesson if you're feeling up to it." He shifted in the chair. She thought he was uncomfortable. At least she wasn't the only one.

Despite the almost certain embarrassment that this was going to entail, she nodded. She needed answers.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his short blond hair. She saw that one of his fingers had a pale band around the base. His wedding ring was gone. He followed her eyes and held the hand up between them.

"It would be a sign of terrible disrespect to wear that now that we've been bound."

Something in her twisted unpleasantly. "Cain, you shouldn't do that for me. I don't care what it means to anyone else. You loved her. It's not like you wanted to get stuck with me. Just put the ring back on." She was having a problem meeting his eyes.

"Look at me, Princess." Amazing that she would run straight at danger without a second thought but had a problem gathering enough courage to do what he requested. Finally, though, she did.

"No one gets to choose in a binding. The two people involved are matched and that's the end of it. You can stop blaming yourself for this." His lips quirked up on one side. "I'm willing to bet that no one told you about this because you would have beat them senseless. You're a bit stubborn about getting your way."

She hoped that was a compliment. She flashed back to her dream. "Uh, yeahhh, about that."

Blue eyes gazed back at her. He had felt that. "What did you do this time, DG?"

Turning her head she pushed hair behind her ear. "Why do you assume _I_ did something?"

"Because I've been in your company for more than ten minutes."

Ok, fine, she'd give him that one. "The O.Z. told me the next place we had to go. It looked like an old museum or something. It was close to a river."

His gaze went distant for a moment before he nodded. "Must be the library near Ricose. What else happened?"

"I'd rather not tell you." Oops. That was the wrong thing to say. Cain decided to let his inner Tin Man come out to play. He went into interrogation mode. She recognized it from her dealings with Officer Gulch.

"DG, if you don't tell me what happened your not going to find out anything else about that tattoo on your shoulder." His voice was pleasant. It freaked her out more than if he had shouted.

"That's blackmail!"

His voice didn't change. "That's life."

She whined in the back of her throat. Then she gave him a sad puppy dog look.

"Not a chance, kid."

"Fine! I may have lost my temper. And, well, you know threatened to burn the Outer Zone to the ground if it messed with me again."

Cain's face went totally slack for a moment. Then he leaned back in his chair and snorted. The snort turned into a chuckle and then morphed into a full-blown laugh. Huh. His laugh was kinda nice to listen to. She just wondered why he thought this was so funny.

When he'd caught his breath he leaned forward and caressed her cheek. "Kid, you've got more of a backbone than anyone I've ever met."

She should have responded to this comment but she was more focused on the unexpected hand on her face. It was calloused and warm. His light touch had her more aware of her body than it should have. Her breathing shallowed and rational thought was losing its importance.

He pulled back. She had to blink several times to get back to herself. Confused by her reaction she looked at him.

"What just happened?"

"Sorry." He was uncomfortable again. And gruff. "It's a side effect of the binding."

Oh boy, that was fun. I mean bad… very bad. Naughty thoughts DG!

"Like the you feeling my emotions thing? And why can't I feel you?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean!" She felt her face get hot.

"I can feel your emotions because that must be what you need from me the most."

"Huh?"

"We both get a skill that will help the other. You must need someone who can understand you. Can't say I blame you for that, with you growing up on the Other Side."

"And what can I do?"

"You tell me, Kid."

She sighed. She had no idea what new skill she had to deal with now. And to be honest this whole thing was tiring her out again.

"Go back to sleep. We need to leave in the morning and you need to be ready with your magic. We might need it."

"Ok. Goodnight Cain." She stretched back out on the cot.

"Kid I think at this point you should call me Wyatt." She fell back asleep smiling.

Author Note: I have to brag about my beta. She rocks!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Ajax. He tried to steal Cain's hat for me but DG stole it back. Can't blame her, it's a nice hat.

She was woken by a whooshing noise and cold air. "Bah! Cold!"

Ajax snorted happily at her and moved back with her blanket in his mouth. Rolling over she sat up and put her feet to the floor. She reached for her boots and addressed the horse. "You know, you're kind of the devil. Stealing innocent people's blankets. It's so wrong."

"Innocent, huh? Here, catch." She turned in time to grab the apple he threw at her.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She was grumbling.

"Not an early riser, Princess?"

Her only response was incoherent muttering as she shoved the apple in her mouth. Holding it between her teeth, she yanked on her boots. Grabbing it with her newly freed hand she started to chew. Cain was giving her a once over as he put his duster on.

"What?"

"It's nothing, Kid, we should get going."

"You know if you want me to call you Wyatt you need to stop calling me Kid." See, she had just woken up and made a_ perfectly_ logical demand.

"I don't think so." Dismissing her request he moved to Ajax and began to tack him up.

You've got to be kidding. Crossing her arms she eyed him as he threw the saddle on Ajax. "Fine, if you call me Kid again I will give you the most embarrassing nickname I can think of and use it until you surrender to my superiorness."

He finished with the last buckle, ignoring her. He thought she was bluffing! Ooo this was going to be fun. She bet she could get his head to explode in less than thirty minutes. He felt the surge of satanic joy at that thought and gave her a narrow eyed stare. Ajax swished his tail and wuffled.

"Ready?" She said it sweetly. His eyes narrowed further.

He continued with his silence but tapped on the wall. It melted beneath his touch and he drew his gun as he moved slowly out of the shelter. Once he was sure it was clear he returned and motioned for them to follow him.

Ajax was only too pleased to be back outside and once clear of the cave shook himself thoroughly. She grinned at the display and patted him on his side. "Feel like you were stuck back in the stables?"

He nickered and moved his head up and down in agreement. "Let's get a move on back there!"

"Bossy."

She had to jog to catch up with him. Her legs were shorter. "How long is it going to take us to get to the library?"

"Probably two days."

"Probably?"

"I would say a day and a half but you can never tell in Munchkin territory."

"Great. Cause I get along _so _well with them."

"Should I even ask, Kid?"

"Only if you want to know, Captain Tightpants." Mwahahaha!

Cain's head reared back. He turned to her opening his mouth, but sensing her satisfaction at getting under his skin, clenched his jaw instead. She snickered. He would crack soon.

"So, what should we do if we have a close encounter of the munchkin kind?"

"Tell them we're newlyweds looking to settle on the other side of their territory."

"Ahh, come on, Wyatt! That is _so _lame! Besides, I can't act and we've never even kissed!"

"Why do you have to make everything so difficult?"

"I'm a woman, I can't help that I'm complicated!"

Cain stopped and considered her for a moment. She was about to say something when he wrapped his arm firmly around her waist and pulled her flush against him. She ceased to breath as the hand that wasn't holding her close moved to her face. Her eyes locked on his. They had turned a dark stormy blue that made her want to melt into him.

He caressed her cheek for a moment then slid his hand slowly down her neck. His fingers tangled in her hair and he gently tipped her head back. Her eyes slid shut. When his lips landed softly on her neck, she sucked in a breath. He took his time moving his lips slowly upward caressing and tickling.

A shiver went down her spine and she grabbed two handfuls of his lapels to help her stay upright. Her shoulder was tingling like mad and her world contracted until it was only the two of them. His lips finally found hers and she forgot there was a world at all.

It was soft and slow and quiet possibly the best kiss ever. As he pressed gently against her mouth he massaged the back of her neck with those oh so talented fingers. This was too much and not enough all at once. She felt like she was about to short circuit. Her fingers tightened in his coat and she whimpered into his mouth.

Suddenly, he nipped her lower lip and pulled away. Her eyes snapped open. He could not just stop! That was cruel and unusual punishment. When her desperate eyes found his dark ones he squeezed her neck and moved back. His arm remained around her waist but there was now space between them.

"There, we've kissed. Do you think you can act like we're married now?"

Her brain was still trying to process what had just happened. "I don't know, I may need further instruction."

He smirked and untangled their limbs. "I'm not going to start anything with you that I can't finish."

"You're a cruel man, Wyatt Cain."

"Compliments aren't going to get you anywhere, Princess." And then he turned and continued down through the woods as if nothing had happened.

If Ajax hadn't come up behind her and given her a friendly shove she would have stayed watching him move away and out of sight. Her horse walked next to her for sometime as she tried to work out what she was feeling. She was equally curious to know what the Tin Man was thinking about as he surveyed the path ahead of them.

If that was a side effect of bonding she found herself feeling a bit more lenient toward the O.Z. She was no innocent but that kiss had rocked her more than anything else she had ever done. Then again she doubted she needed encouragement to go weak kneed when Cain touched her.

They continued to walk in silence until Cain came across a well used trail. When she and Ajax came up to him he pointed to it.

"That's a sure sign we've crossed into their territory. Remember the story. Munchkins take matrimony seriously. I've never heard story of them hurting a peaceful family."

"If you say so," She hoped that her second meeting with the little buggers would go better than her first. She found herself less than optimistic.

Author Note: Everyone cheer for Rose! She edited this in record time.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The Munchkins stopped them shortly before nightfall. Although she hadn't seen any of them before that, Cain had assured her at midday that they were being followed. He assured her a few moments after that that they were safe. After all, if they had wanted to hurt them they would have done so already. Despite his calm she inched closer to him.

A few minutes later she realized that there was a hole in their story. Reaching her hand out, she wrapped her fingers around his larger ones. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye but said nothing. She gave him an apologetic look and pictured a pair of rings she had seen when she had been given a tour of the royal treasury. Fortunately, it was easier to call the two small rings into her hand than she had thought.

Cain felt the cool metal between their hands and twitched. She angled her finger inward caught the smaller of the simple gold bands on it and pushed it on. Pressing against his side to hide what she was doing from watchful eyes she caught the larger ring and placed it around his newly vacant ring finger.

Before he could protest she went up on her toes pressing a kiss under his ear and whispered. "Sorry, but if they stop us they might wonder why a married couple isn't sporting the proper wardrobe. You can take it off when we're out of here."

To say she felt bad about what she had done was an understatement. Despite what he had said about the nature of binding, she couldn't help but feel that she was forcing the man to completely give up Adora. She turned away and continued walking. To her relief, when she tried to untangle their hands he refused to let her go. She smiled at him weakly, grateful for his understanding.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. When they came to a small stream at dusk they found five Munchkin warriors waiting for them. Unlike the small creatures that had captured her on her first day back in the O.Z. these were not dressed up like painted turkeys. They sported war paint it was true, but only small amounts on their faces and bare arms. The large feathers her captors had worn were also absent.

She tightened her hand around Cain's before he pushed her gently behind him. She found herself half behind the man with Ajax at her back. Cain reached his other hand up and tilted his hat toward the spear bearing soldiers.

"Evening gentlemen," He was all politeness. She had the random thought that he would have been much better at etiquette lessons than she had been.

The oldest of the group responded. "Greetings strangers. We have seen you walking through our forest and would like to know your destination. The war may be over but the world still holds dangers. We want no trouble."

"Neither do we, friends. My wife and I are heading to Ricose to settle. We're just passing through."

The leader turned to the warrior to his left, who nodded. "If that's the case you're welcome to stay with our tribe for the night. It's safer in a group than to be out on your own."

Cain considered this proposition for a long moment. He came to a decision and nodded his head to the small man. "That's mighty kind of you. We'd be honored to stay with your tribe tonight."

The leader of the small group smiled at them. "We haven't had visitors in some time. It's long overdue."

She relaxed at the warrior's comment. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. They might even have beds. "Thank you."

The little man grinned and gave a funny bow at the waist. "My name is Firebark. It's our honor to make the lady comfortable."

Her lips twitched. He motioned for them to follow the group of fighters downstream. For a people with short legs they sure could cover ground pretty fast. They made it to the village by nightfall.

In this respect the tribe was the same as the one that had caught her in a net. Gazing up into the trees she saw a handful of buildings wrapped around the large tree trunks fifty feet in the air. Rope bridges crisscrossed through the tree village and disappeared into the darkness.

She figured a messenger must have been sent off to tell the tribe that they would have company. By the time they got there a large bonfire was blazing and she could smell food being cooked. A number of Munchkins were trying to get a peek at them from the trees. They must be novelty to such an isolated group.

While she found their interest in them amusing Cain had gone into high alert. He may not have been afraid but she could sense his hesitance in walking into an unknown village. She hoped he would simmer down once they had been introduced.

Once they reached the fire the leader of the small warrior band waved a hand and several elders stepped out of the shadows. Two of them were distinguished looking matriarchs and the third was a stooped old man leaning heavily on a stick. How in Ozma's name did he make it up and down the trees?

One of the women tilted her head up to see them. Her voice was low and graveled. "Welcome to our home. We are pleased to have you. After you have rested and eaten we would be grateful to hear any news you can share with us."

"Of course, Ma'am, we appreciate your hospitality." Meeting the elders must have been a good thing because Cain was suddenly a lot less stiff than he had been.

They were led to several worn blankets sitting at the base of the trees and after ridding Ajax of his saddle, they sat. The three elders and Firebark sat near them and made friendly conversation as five Munchkin children served them roasted meat and water. The children were spellbound by Ajax who was delighted by the attention and treats they gave him.

After their meal was finished, Cain wrapped his arm around her waist and held her against his side. She didn't fight him. He answered all the questions the four had for him and then told them what he knew of Longcoat movements and what they should be wary of. He also told them that the rumors of Az's possession were true. She had initially stiffened at the blunt question but the Tin Man had started rubbing slow circles on her side and she relaxed more fully into him.

Pleased with what they had learned, the Munchkins thanked them and Firebark rose to show them where they could spend the night. He led them to a tree on the outer edge of the village and indicated a ladder that was swinging from a platform high above their heads.

"The house above you is large enough for you to rest in. We've had padding and blankets put in it for you. Sleep well."

"Much obliged to you."

"Of course. Thank you for answering our question. The news we receive is little and far between. It's heartening to know that the young Princess and her friends have brought peace back to our lands."

She peered up toward the tree house so neither man could see the conflict in her eyes. True, she had helped stop the witch, but she had been the one to release her to begin with. When Firebark left, Cain tilted his head toward the ladder. She grabbed a rung near her head and hauled herself up.

By Munchkin standards she supposed the room was moderately spacious, but once Cain bent down to entered behind, her she felt cramped. They had enough room to lie down but that was all. She seated herself near the entrance in order to remove her boots without getting the bedding dirty.

It didn't occur to her that she would be spending the night pressed against Cain until she scooted to the middle of the blankets. She continued to move back until she was against the trunk of the tree. Cain had toed off his own boots and shut the door while she was assessing the sleeping arrangements.

She supposed he must have felt her nervousness because he was moving much slower than he normally did. He must have been afraid she was going to try and bolt. Instead, she turned her back to him and laid down. She was still worried that the kiss he had given her earlier had been more about him making a point than about affection. Fear of rejection was a strong deterrent in asking him about it.

She heard him remove his duster and holster, setting the former somewhere above where her head rested. Then he settled down next to her, tossing his coat over her and pulling a blanket over them both. He turned to her and she stilled. Irrationally, she was nervous. As if he would ever hurt her.

"Relax, DG, I'm not going to bite." His voice was soft. She was worried she was acting like an idiot.

"You're safe with me, Princess."

This was stupid. She turned over so she could see him, meaning to ask him what he was expecting from her. What she should be expecting from him. But when she met his clear blue eyes, she turned shy. It was not an emotion she was very familiar with. He felt that too.

Sighing, he wrapped his arm around her for the third time that day. It had to be a record. She thought she had never fought anyone less when they tried to comfort her. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck and breathed deeply. His smell did not sooth her in the way she had wished it would. Instead, it sent her pulse racing.

Without thinking, she kissed him where his shoulder met his neck. He hissed and tightened his grip on her. She took this as a positive response. Wrapping a leg over his hip, she pressed herself as close to him as she could manage, changing the kiss into a light nip as she did so.

With a growl, he yanked her up, sealing his lips against hers. Without breaking contact, he rolled them so he rested on top of her. Using one arm to prop himself up, Cain kissed her, his tongue tracing her bottom lip sensuously as his free hand moved down the length of her body to rest on the leg wrapped firmly over his hip. His fingers caressed the back of her thigh as his hips rocked firmly against hers.

She broke the kiss as a moan escaped her lips, her body arching beneath him in response to the fire that was building in her blood. She could feel his excitement as he pressed against her intimately and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, angling her head to give his earlobe and encouraging bite.

His hand moved from her leg to slip beneath her shirt, the heat of his palm trailing its way up her rib cage to brush dangerously against the under curve of her breast.

She began to pant and when his warm hand finally moved to cup her she moaned. "Wyatt!"

He stopped. He _stopped_! "What? What's the matter?"

Taking several rasping breaths, Cain pressed his forehead against hers. "We can't do this." He whispered gruffly. Growling softly, she jerked her hips against his. "DG!"

"Yes we can," Her body was driving her to take what she suddenly viewed as hers. "What's wrong?" The last part was too needy for her liking.

"We're just reacting to the binding. It's not what it should be like."

Feeling as if he had thrown a bucket of cold water on her, DG began to shake beneath him. "Then what is it _supposed_ to be like?"

He moved off of her, turning her so that he had her back to his chest. He had a firm hold of her with one arm and swept her hair back to expose the curve of her neck. He pressed a soft kiss against the tender skin before tucking her head beneath his chin.

"It's supposed to be about love, Sweetheart, not lust." Her mind whirled around that. Did that mean he didn't love her but was at least attracted to her? Maybe she should be glad he hadn't taken advantage of the situation. But damn it! She was too wound up to feel like he had done the right thing.

"We should go to sleep DG."

That was easier said than done. She must have stared at the wall for hours before sleep finally took her.

Author Note: Special thanks to Rose for making the smutt much better!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own nothing but am working on rights to Cain's pants.

The next morning was awkward. As in, she couldn't even look at the man's face awkward. She had woken up first and wiggled free of his grasp, miraculously not waking him. Using all the stealth she had learned when sneaking around the palace in the dead of night she stepped over him. Snatching her boots, she opened the door a crack and slipped out.

Her boots were on and she was down the ladder with amazing speed. She thought she could have set a tree to ground record. Did the O.Z. have something like the Guinness Book of World Records? Probably, although she bet the records were more interesting than the ones from Earth. Maybe they had categories like smallest Munchkin and most intricate illusion. Oh, or even biggest hoop shirt.

She wasn't in avoidance mode. No way. Reaching the ground, she decided the best course of action was to find Ajax. She politely asked the nearest child where she could find him and he grabbed her hand with a delighted grin and pulled her to the center of the village. She bent double in order to stay in his grip.

She found Ajax lying on his back, four hooves in the air, and covered in Munchkin children. One small girl standing on his stomach was holding a proportionally small stick above her head in triumph. Ajax whinnied in mock defeat and let his head flop to the ground playing dead. Seeing this, the boy let her go and ran to join his playmates.

Applause and hoots of laughter rained down from the trees. The adults had enjoyed the show. She grinned at her horse's antics. She was so glad Glitch had sent him with her. She joined in the applause and sticking two fingers between her lips let out a piercing whistle. Catcall style. The defeated horse opened one eye to see her.

He gave her the most dramatic look a horse could and whuffled sadly. Taking pity on the animal, she approached the group. She squatted in front of the victors and winked conspiratorially at them. "It takes a brave girl to defeat such a mighty opponent with a stick."

The diminutive girl nodded proudly and waved her hand around. "They helped, too."

Keeping a straight face she met the girl's eyes seriously. "They did. But now that the beast has been vanquished, do you think you could let him up?"

"Nope, we're keeping him for ransom."

"Ransom, huh? That's clever of you. What will it take for me to get him back?"

Another Munchkin girl pulled on her elder's arm to gain her attention. When the stick wielder leaned over, she began to whisper urgently in her ear. After the short conference, the girl nodded and regarded her.

"You have to show us something we haven't seen before."

She grinned. While she couldn't do any real magic for them without potentially exposing who she was, she had learned some fun slight of hand. Toto may have frowned upon it, but really that had only made her learn it faster. Besides, the simplicity of it had made Az laugh.

Sticking her hand out, she shook hands with the girl. "Deal. Let me grab my bag and I promise not only a magic trick but a juggling act."

The children cheered and several bounced up and down on poor Ajax who let out a grunt but didn't flip them off. She grabbed her bag from the base of the tree they had eaten diner at previously and rummaged around the bottom. She knew what she needed wasn't there but with her hand concealed she magicked three soft cloth balls and a small Ozian coin into it.

Pulling the new items from the bag she set the balls to the side and held up the coin. She then showed the children her opposite hand flipping in back and forth so that they could see both sides. Placing the coin in her palm she closed her fist around it and used the pointer finger on her other hand to push down on it. With some quick movements she pressed the coin into the hand that was doing the pushing to conceal it.

She raised her hand and the showed the kids her now "magically" empty hand. Reaching out to the closest child, she reached behind his ear and flipped the coin into view. Squeals of joy follow this amazing trick. She chuckled at them. "Ok, who's ready to see me juggle?"

She scooted back a few feet and, as she predicted, the children hopped off of Ajax so that they could get a better look at what she was going to do. Ajax got carefully to his feet, avoiding the young ones and decided to watch her as well. Retrieving the felt balls, she sat up straight and began to flip them in a simple pattern. As she got her rhythm, her patterns became more complicated. Soon she was tossing them behind her back and then in just one hand.

She ran out of new moves a few minute later and gently tossed the three balls to different children. They gasped in delight and took off with their treasures before their neighbors could swipe them. Most of them ran off in a giggling pack but the girl who had beat Ajax ran up to her and hugged her neck before taking off after the others.

Behind her she heard a voice. "Your wife certainly has a soft spot for the children."

Well, that ended the moment. Her self-control was severely strained when she forced herself not to jump or cringe at the thought that Cain had been watching her. Most likely for some time. Schooling her features, she twisted her torso toward the voice.

Cain was leaning against a nearby tree, watching her intently. Firebark was next to him, laughter in his eyes. "I haven't seen them that excited in ages. It was kind of you to give them the toys."

"No problem. They're easy enough to make." He had _no_ idea. She wasn't going to look at Cain. Nope, not going to happen.

"Well, if you two are rested, I can lead you back to the trail. Unless you'd like to stay for a few more days. You're quite popular here."

"I'm afraid we have to be on our way, although we appreciate the offer." Cain replied.

DG smiled at the Munchkin warrior. "Yeah, thanks a lot."

They left soon after, packed and full from breakfast. They had been given some kind of fruit she'd never encounter that tasted a bit like cherries. The fruit was as big as her hand and white. Weird. At the trail they said there last goodbyes to Firebark and continued on their way. This time they were not being followed. They had been walking for over an hour in strained silence before Cain grabbed her upper arm and shook her. He wasn't gentle.

"Don't _ever_ leave me like that! Something could have happened and I wasn't there!" She had never heard his voice like this. It was like ice.

If he intended to scare her into submission, he went about it the wrong way. Her defenses went up immediately.

"I don't need you to protect me all the time, Cain! Believe it or not, I managed to survive three months without you! Not to mention the twenty years before we met!" She tried to wrench free but he simply tightened his grip.

"As I recall in the twenty annuals before we met you were attacked by a bear, killed by your sister, sent to the Otherside, raised by robots, then attacked by Longcoats! Did I forget anything, Princess?"

She lost her temper then. And with it, all filters between her internal monologue and her mouth. "Yeah, you forgot the part where I let an evil witch posses my sister and plunge the O.Z. into fifteen annuals of darkness!" She was shouting now. "And after you left, I survived an overbearing mother, an overcompensating father, robot foster parents who are so rewired they can't remember me, and a sister who is so messed up by what I did that she couldn't sleep without waking up screaming bloody murder for six weeks!"

Once she started, she just couldn't stop. It was the same feeling as when she'd had the stomach flu when she was fifteen. And this time Cain didn't stop her. "I was also paraded in front of an assortment of eligible men that I was told I should consider as potential husbands, poked and prodded by advisors trying to get on my good side, marked as some kind of mystic healer by the Outer Zone, watched as my teacher died in my arms, killed several men, and fled for my life! So don't pretend like I'm some damsel in distress you have to save every five minutes! _Just back the hell off!_"

His eyes had widened at her outburst but he still hadn't let her go. She shoved him back with her magic and he stumbled. Turning to a cowering Ajax, she grabbed his reins and yanked him farther along the trail. She was breathing hard and honestly didn't care if he was following her or not.

She felt Ajax try to slow down but she jerked him forward. She would be damned if she was going to stop before they got to Ricose. If that meant leaving both of them behind, then so be it. It had _not_ been a good week for her.

The brisk pace she had set did not cool her anger. All it _did_ was give her enough time to let the shame and embarrassment of what she had shouted at the Tin Man sink in. And here she thought after last night she couldn't become anymore embarrassed. Well, you learn something new everyday.

She was aware that Cain was following her but she didn't turn around. He must be erring on the side of caution because he kept well behind her. For once she didn't want to know what he was thinking. No wonder he had stopped them last night. She was too messed up to love.

For the rest of the day she fought to keep her emotions buried as deeply as possible. She thought she had given Cain enough to chew on for one day. She wasn't sure that she was doing all that well, because more than once she found she was fighting back tears as her emotions tried to overwhelm her.

Thank the O.Z. they made it to the ruins before the Suns set.

Author Note: Once again big thanks to Rose. Also winter term has started so it may take me longer to get postings out. Sorry but class comes first.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of saying this. So please refer to the beginning of the last chapter. You know the part about the pants.

In the last few minutes of light the ruins were illuminated brilliantly. She could see that the building was both larger and older than she had thought. It was easily four times as big as the Palace of Ice. Unlike the ice kingdom it was not well preserved. The thing looked as if it had been slowly eaten away by the elements. She doubted this was the case.

She stood at the edge of the clearing under the large trees that were so prolific in the Outer Zone. She scanned the clearing with her eyes and then her magic. All she could feel were the local fauna. By the time she was done Cain had come up next to her, gun in hand.

Her emotional outburst and forced march had wiped her out. She didn't think that fixing this place tonight was such a stellar idea. That and the fact that those Shadow guys would likely show up the moment she cast any sort of powerful magic. What a pain. Had she even told Cain about that? Crap. Now she would have to talk to him.

"It's clear as far as I can tell. Do you see anything?" She thought she should at least try to make peace. She wasn't going to say sorry per say, but still.

He was surprised she had broken the silence. She figured he was more surprised that she had asked for his opinion in the matter. Tilting his hat up with a thumb as he assessed the field, he said, "Nope. Do you want to camp out here or take our chances in there?"

She thought she would feel better with a wall at her back, not to mention a roof over her head. The place might've be falling apart but it was so big it was bound to have a few protected spots. She extended her magic to brush through the building. Once again she found nothing but a few small animals and a whole lot of bats.

"The building feels safe. I'd rather hole up there than stay out in the open. At least we'd be out of the wind."

Cain must have agreed. For the first time that day he took the lead. They moved across the field swiftly and the Tin Man moved to the side of the building that still had sunlight shining on it. It didn't take long to find a hole in the wall big enough for Ajax to fit in.

Cain moved in first and she kept watch behind them until he motioned her in. Ajax beat her inside and collided with the Tin Man. She heard him let out a curse. She sighed and, using as little magic as possible, she called her light up to her hand.

"Watch where you're going, Fleabag." So, she wasn't the only one having a less than pleasant day.

She lifted her hand above her head to cast the glow farther. They were at the end of a long hallway. The floor was made of wide stone bricks and the walls were smooth in the places that hadn't been eroded away. This place just felt so _old_.

"Can you light this place up any more?" Cain was keeping his voice neutral. The same tone he had used on her until they broke her out of the tower. She curled in on herself even more. Great, she managed to push him away. She just wanted to go to sleep. Maybe she would wake up tomorrow and find out that this day had never happened.

"Not unless you want to see anymore of those Shadows. They can track me when I use too much magic."

"Were you going to share that?" His temper was fraying. For the first time in hours she met his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I forgot I hadn't told you."

"You and I need to talk."

Her insides tightened, but she knew he was right. "Yeah."

It didn't take them long to find some rooms to stay in. The place was so big they had a few to choose from. Cain refused to stop until they were deep inside the place. Cain ended up choosing two rooms that were connected by a degraded archway. It had once been separated in the center by two heavy wooden doors. Only one was left and it hung at a crazy angle, attached at one hinge.

The rooms may have seen better days, but they were cleaner than she could have hoped for. There was no furniture and the only mess to speak of was a fine layer of dust on the floor. The walls and floors looked the same as the passageways they had walked down. Cain ushered their merry little group in and closed and latched the door to the hallway.

Ajax wandered into the second room; the coward was getting out of the line of fire. It was so depressing to realize that her horse was smarter than she was. They should let him run the country. Dropping her pack in the far corner, she slid down the wall next to it and waited for the fun to start.

Cain sat against the wall on the other side of her pack so they were facing each other at an angle. Her head lolled to the side and she regarded him. His eyes bore into her but she was tired of fighting him. It felt as if it was all they had done since she woke up in his camp the two days before. She would let him see whatever he wanted.

He almost seemed sad when he realized what she was doing. His hand twitched up and then landed back on his lap. She waited.

"How are they tracking you through your magic, Kiddo?"

She turned her head away from him in disgust. Back to that name again. Without turning back to him she quoted the line from the only poem she knew from the O.Z. "One princess will be drawn to light, the other drawn to dark." She stared blankly across the room for a moment. "The darkness is drawn to me as strongly as I'm drawn to it."

"Azkadilla is the one drawn to the darkness, DG." He was so sure. How many other people thought the same thing? How many others blamed her sister for her mistake?

"No. Azkadilla isn't the one that heard the witch, Cain. I did. And why do you think it was so easy for the Mobat spies to follow us when we were racing across the O.Z.?"

"Kid, you can't just assume that because those mages attacked you a couple of times that you're the dark princess. It could just be coincidence."

She laughed softly at that. "The Outer Zone told me, Cain."

"Princess-"

She turned back to him, cutting him off. What could he possibly say to that? "What happened to Ariana?"

He blinked at the abrupt change of topic then just raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"The battle mage who was marked by the O.Z. What happened to her?"

She could see the gears in his head turning. No doubt he was trying to dredge up a history lesson he hadn't had in annuals. "She was killed shortly before the end of the Five Winters War."

Shocking. "How?"

"As I recall, she went to meet with an enemy general to negotiate a truce against the direct order of the Queen. No one really knows why. Reports were conflicting. One of her aides said she kept waking up at night muttering about shaded lakes. One of the captains she worked closely with said that when she wasn't meditating she was muttering under her breath at thin air."

"So she went off to meet the guy and he killed her?" What would motivate someone to walk straight into such an obvious trap?

"No actually. The general risked his life carrying her half alive back into her camp."

Now she was confused. "Surely they had healers? And why would an enemy general do that? He must have been better off with her dead. I would imagine killing your enemies' greatest weapon would have given him an amazing amount of respect."

"I don't think any healer could have patched her up. Some kind of magic was eating away at her. And as far as the general goes, I have no idea what he was thinking. He told them that she had saved them all but wouldn't say how. Her dying request was for them to let him go back unharmed. Three days after he was released, the war ended and a peace treaty was signed."

She squinted, noticing the room had gotten dark while she was listening to the story. Refocusing on her light she formed a small globe of light in her hand and set it on the ground between them. Cain tilted his head at it then tapped it gently with the toe of his boot.

"Is there anything you can't do with your magic?"

She watched his boot as he nudged it. "I can't heal living creatures. Well, I mean plants yeah, but no animals or people. My magic runs out pretty fast too. It's stronger than anything Az can do but I have no stamina at all. Az can run a spell constantly for days. Even my simple one's don't last more than a few hours."

Silence moved between them again. She was confused by what had happened to her great, great whatever aunt. What had she done that would motivate such loyalty from a sworn enemy? And what had she saved them from? She pushed the mystery away for the night. The O.Z. had promised she would find answers once this place was restored. The irony of her ending up back in a library was not lost on her.

She shifted on the stone floor. She was not pleased with what she was about to do. However, if she didn't, she would not be sleeping that night. Still gazing at his scuffed boot, she forced out the words she needed to say. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. You didn't deserve that. I'm just not used to people trying to keep me safe. I was always the loner growing up." She let him feel the truth of it.

She was surprised, to say the least, when she found herself propelled through the air. Cain had grabbed her and settled her on his lap in the blink of an eye. She stiffened in surprise but didn't try to get away.

"Yeah, I figured that wasn't about me scolding you. How long has that been festering, DG?"

She shoved against his chest. She wanted to get away. It didn't matter anyway. His arms wrapped more firmly around her. "Not this time, Princess. Sure, you could use your magic again, but how much would it take to get those hooded figures to come running?"

_He had played her!_ He _knew_ she wouldn't draw the psycho mages straight to them. Her anxiety increased. "Let go!" Frantically, she twisted her body to escape him.

His experience as a Tin Man and her flat refusal to use magic let him win easily. He spread his legs dropping her to the ground and quickly pushed his newly free left leg over both of her bent ones. His right leg went up to his chest preventing her from lunging backward. He then grabbed both of her wrists with one of his large hands and used his remaining arm to pin her shoulder to his chest.

It was over in less than three seconds. She struggled in vain until she was too exhausted to resist. Cain wasn't even breathing heavily, although she did get a satisfying grunt out of him when he relaxed a bit and she elbowed him in the ribs. As soon as she ceased her thrashing he shifted his hand from her shoulder to massage her neck.

To her horror his touch combined with the effect of the binding had her all but melting into him. Her mind was fighting against her body and she began to quiver against him.

"Stop fighting me, Sweetheart. I told you I wasn't going to hurt you. But you need to get this poison out of your system."

"It doesn't matter! Just let go!"

"Of course it matters. How long have you been alone, DG?"

She felt as if he had reached into her heart and twisted. "I haven't been alone in months." It was a lie and he knew it.

"No? I thought you said you were a loner? How many friends did you have on the Otherside? Not many I would guess since you never once mentioned anyone but your parents." Her body was shaking now. "It must have been some blow to find out they only loved you because they were programmed to. And then to find out they forgot you." His voice was soft and slow.

"Stop it!" She was breaking. His hands began to ghost down her back.

"I have to ask if that hurt as badly as finding out what you did to your sister. Knowing that the only person you knew that genuinely cared for you was being controlled by something that you'd released."

She was choking on the sob trying to escape her. "Please, Cain." His hand continued to caress her.

"Then we freed her. And your mother, the real one. How long until the newness of it wore off? Did it bother you that you weren't what she wanted or even needed after the eclipse? Or were you used to that feeling?"

Tears had started to roll down her eyes and she lowered her head so he couldn't see them.

"When we left, it was the last straw for you wasn't it? Sometime after that you thought that you weren't worth having. After all you had done to make things right, we still left you."

She had to end this. It came out as a hoarse whisper. "Yes… Please stop, Wyatt."

He pressed her head against his neck when the sobs started to rack her body. His fingers brushed slowly through her hair. And he let go of her wrists. She curled her free hands against his chest.

"It's alright, Sweetheart. I'm not going to leave you again. I never should have left in the first place." She didn't know how long she cried against him, but he never once tried to push her away.

Author Notes: Once again thanks to Rose and her ability to use commas properly. I would also like to thank my friend Mandy who helped me fix my rebellious spell checker.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I own nothing but really appreciate all your reviews.

The sobs finally stopped wracking her body. She was limp against Cain, half awake. He had one arm draped around her hips and the other was playing with her shortened hair. Every now and then one of his fingers would brush against the nape of her neck. She turned her head slightly to increase the contact.

"You ok, Sweetheart?"

Good question. She supposed she was. Although she wanted to be more upset by what had transpired than she was. She was just too drained to care. Why Cain had torn those things out of her she didn't understand. Maybe she was giving him a headache.

She didn't have a real answer for him. She didn't have a question for him either. So she stayed quiet, trying to let herself fall asleep. His hand stilled, cupping her neck.

"DG? You need to talk to me for a few more minutes. Then you can sleep for as long as you want."

"Are you going to make me cry again?" Her friend, sarcasm, had come back to play.

She felt Cain shift uncomfortably beneath her. "I'll do my level best not to."

She snorted into his vest. "How comforting. You just made me admit how pathetic my emotional relationships are. What else could you possibly want to know? My date to senior prom?"

"You're not pathetic, Darlin'. And I'm not even going to ask what prom is." She had a vision of a much younger Cain dressed in a blue tux with a corsage in his hand. He was a dork. You know, she did feel better.

"Then, what?"

"Do your parents know you left, DG?" Well god _damn _it. Why could this man not leave well enough alone?

"I'm pretty sure they know I'm gone _now_."

"You can't make anything easy, can you? Why didn't you tell them you were leaving?"

"They wanted me to be queen. Do you honestly think they were going to let me leave? Lavender would have had me locked in a tower before admitting the O.Z. had more rights over me than she did."

"Locked in a tower?"

"Nevermind. Why does it matter?"

"I'm worried the mages aren't the only ones that are going to be after you. I doubt your parents are going to take kindly to the fact that their youngest has fled their custody."

"Cain, I'm twenty-one years old and as far as I know, not a criminal. I don't think me leaving would be considered fleeing their custody. Besides, Az and Glitch said they'd take care of my parents."

"And you think your sister and the Headcase can stop them from sending troops out after you?"

"Cain, Glitch has his brain back in his head, not to mention his new personality. He'll have them chasing their tails within two minutes. To think I didn't believe that he used to be the smartest man in the O.Z. Honestly, I've never seen anything like it."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah, and with Az on his side I doubt even Mother will be able to do much. After all, Az will have to be named heir. Mother can't risk alienating her."

"I don't doubt that they can keep them busy for a bit. But even if Azkadilla is now the only one able to take the throne, she won't have much power until she has both the support of the people and a reliable consort."

Her amusement overtook her humiliation. And the project she and Glitch had been working on the last month or so would take care of that last pesky problem. It would only be a matter of time before everyone would be able to see what had happened to Az.

"What's so funny, Princess?"

"A few months ago, Glitch and I were clearing out the tower. We found a hidden security room full of surveillance disks. Good thing for us the witch was a narcissist. She had the whole eclipse battle recorded. After that, Glitch and I started to try to mass-produce his T.D.E.S.P.H.T.L.'s. In a couple of weeks they will be placed in every major town in the O.Z." She conveniently left out what else they had found on the tapes. The rest of the saved moments had been… unsettling.

Cain whistled impressed. "Well, that's a good idea."

"Can't take credit for it. Glitch got a wee bit obsessed. Although, thinking back I can see why." The timeline she had been trying to work out clicked into place. Her amusement increased. Glitch had been working that hard to impress her sister. Sure it was unconventional, who woos someone by proving they weren't an evil dictator? But it was effective.

"That's great, Kid, but I don't see what's funny about it."

She paused for half a beat. For dramatic effect. "I don't know about you, but I think Glitch will be a great Consort of the Realm."

Cain hauled her up to face him. He was absolutely floored. She felt her eyes crinkle in amusement. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Hardly. I teleported Glitch into my room the other night and scared Az half out of her wits when he vanished."

Cain's lips twitched like mad. "Well, he always said he had perfect rhythm."

"_Cain!_" That was a mental image she did _not_ need in her head. "When did you develop a sense of humor, anyway?"

"Shortly after I met you. If I hadn't, I would have died of a heart attack with the stunts you pull."

She pouted. That hardly seemed fair. She had only done what she had to do. Mostly. Cain chuckled at her antics. His thumb tickled the skin beneath her ear.

"So you are feeling better then," He was pleased and releaved. "You had me worried. It's not natural for you to lose that wide eyed enthusiasm of yours."

She rolled her eyes. She grudgingly admitted, to herself, that she had forgiven him for what had happened. And while she would _never_ admit it out loud, she had been holding some of those things inside to long. Plus, he was kinda adorable when he was all apologetic.

"Whatever. Can we sleep now? I have to do some construction work tomorrow and need the rest." And if he didn't stop touching her she might do something that would get her in trouble. And Cain didn't want trouble. He was no fun.

He let her up. She grabbed her pack to retrieve her blanket as the Tin Man rose to his feet behind her. She heard one of his knees crack and he grumbled something about feisty Princesses and stone floors. "I heard that!"

Cain returned shortly after with Ajax in tow. He led the horse in front of the locked door, placed his hand on his long face and looked him dead in the eye. "You stay in front of this door and tell us if you hear, smell, or feel anything that may even _remotely_ resemble danger. Got it?"

Ajax regarded the Tin Man solemnly. He blew air out his nose and leaned his weight against the door in a way that clearly said. 'Just let them try it, bitch.'

Cain patted the horse's chest, grabbed his pack, and moved back to her. Apparently, the two had bonded in their need to protect her. It must be a guy thing. Cain got his own blanket out and spread it out over the stone floor. Tossing his hat to the side, he sat down and removed his duster and holster. Motioning her over, he lay down.

She didn't budge. He had to be joking. Did he forget what happened the night before? She didn't need a repeat experience, thanks all the same. She would rather be subjected to a slow and painful death. It would be kinder.

"Don't make me pin you again, DG." He realized what it sounded like too late and his tan skin turned the most brilliant shade of red. She snickered at him and gazed at him coyly.

"Is that a threat or a promise, Wyatt?" Her voice had lowered and she started crawling toward him. He flushed further. This was too much fun.

Clearly he wanted to get things back under control. As soon as she got close enough he grabbed her and with several more quick maneuvers had her wrapped as platonically against him as possible. He wasn't getting off that easy. She wriggled her lower half against him.

"Are you trying to kill me? Or just drive me crazy?" His voice was strained. Turn about was fair play, however, she did cease her squirming after a few moments. She wasn't _that _cruel.

"Please go to sleep, DG."

"Well, if you're nice enough to beg." He sighed above her head. Despite the hardness of the floor she found that she slept better that night than she had in months. Somehow Cain kept the nightmares away.

She woke up in an entirely different position than the one she had fallen asleep in. Cain was on his back head tilted into her hair. She was tucked against his side, her head on his shoulder. Her arm was draped over his chest and one of her legs was tangled between his. How had this happened?

She didn't want to move. This was terribly nice. Once they got up, she doubted that the rest of the day would be in any way relaxing. Cain wasn't going to work into her plan of not doing anything. He started to stir against her.

She extracted herself from him before anything could get awkward. He came fully awake when she got up. She went to their packs to pull out breakfast as he sat up and ran a hand through his short hair.

Once they were fed they loaded up Ajax and exited their hideout. "Where do you want to do this, Princess?"

She considered. Magically it didn't much matter. She was more concerned with how many Shadows were going to attack once she was done. And she'd thought magic would make things _easier_.

"Where would it be best to fight from? I don't think this place will need as much of my magic as the fields. Nothings alive, so I should have enough left over to help in case I need to. Although I can't make any promises."

"Well let's stay inside then. Find a wall to keep at our backs so they can't come at us from all directions. And a place big enough for Ajax to move around in."

They wandered around for a while, searching for a room that fit that description. After a while they came across a mangled inner courtyard. Broken statues littered ancient walkways that had been overrun by weeds. It was creepy, but it was fully enclosed on two sides and had room to maneuver.

"How about here?"

She nodded in agreement; she had an idea. The opening to the sky would help. They picked their way to the far wall and she got ready to let her magic fly. Cain threw all of Ajax tact and their gear to the ground so the horse could move more easily; he then drew his gun and moved to her other side.

"Ready? This is going to be loud."

Cain raised an eyebrow but nodded.

Closing her eyes she linked with the O.Z. and felt it approve with what she was going to do. Going down on her knees, she placed her palms flat on the ground and sent a jackhammer like blow into the foundation of the building. Her magic traveled as a shockwave around the structure releasing a resounding boom and causing everything it touched to vibrate with power.

Stones and sand flew upward and reassembled themselves into their original positions. The broken statues' pieces leapt off the ground and spun around in small deadly whirlwinds reassembling themselves. She could feel the same process occurring all around the library.

It took less time than the Papay fields had and she thought it was a lot less pretty. But it worked and she could still function. She stood wrenching the small knife Glitch had given her out of her boot and braced herself for the attack she knew was about to start. She wasn't disappointed.

Seven of the cloaked mages surrounded them. Cain shot two before they had all materialized. Ajax charged the one to the far left leaving four still standing. One sent a tremor through the ground knocking them off their feet. Ajax landed on top of the Shadow he had knocked over, crushing him to death. A shot the Tin Man was about to let off went wide missing everything and he went sprawling.

Rolling up, Cain shot a mage who had dark energy building in his hand as another blasted him back with bolt of electricity. He was thrown into the wall and didn't move. Her shoulder burned as if it were on fire. Cold fear clutched at her. "_CAIN!_"

She hit the mage with her own bolt of magic and jumped up to attack the remaining two only to be pinned against the wall. A grey hand wrapped around her neck and her vision began to dim when her air supply was cut off. Raising her hand she plunged the small dagger into her attacker's neck. It stumbled back clawing at it and fell hissing and gurgling to the ground.

Gasping in a lungful of air she saw that the last mage was also motionless on the ground the side of his head smashed in. Ajax had a burn mark running across his side but was on his feet. Shoulder still burning, she scrambled over to her fallen guardian.

Pushing him to his back she could see that he was alive but bleeding badly. His chest was oozing blood. She flashed back to Toto. His breathing was slowing down.

"No, Cain! No, not you!" Frantically she ripped the layers of his clothes back, headless of the torn fabric and buttons. When she saw the gash she felt herself die inside. She couldn't stop the bleeding with pressure. She was no healer.

"Cain, don't you dare die! Not because of me!" Terrified she pressed her hands to the wound in a vain attempt to stop the inevitable. She felt as if her shoulder had been dipped in acid. She screamed as the last of her magic was forcefully ripped out of her.

She felt it flow out of her hands and into Cain. The gash under her hands closed with a flash of light and his chest rose slowly before she passed out.

Author Note: Thanks again to Rose! I also really do love it when you leave me reviews. They kinda motivate me… make me write faster. Hint, hint.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Don't own anything… Tralalalala.

She woke up suddenly in the dark. Her body ached and she was lying on something soft. Why was she on something soft? Her mind was clouded but a thought was trying to break through. Then she remembered. Thrashing, she fought to get up, her legs becoming tangled in something and, try as she might, she couldn't get them unstuck.

As she struggled, she heard a faint click and froze momentarily when a beam of light blinded her. She threw up her hands to shield her eyes and kicked at what was holding her harder. She had to find Cain. She broke free and fell a short distance to the stone floor where she lay stunned.

"DG?" Cain's voice was half panicked as he reached her.

"_Cain!_" She jumped into his startled embrace, knocking him back and landing in his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she refused to let go. "I thought you were dead!" She had never been so happy to see anyone.

He tugged her arms gently. "Can't breathe, Darlin'."

She loosened her hold minutely and his arm came up to rub her back soothingly. Peering over Cain's shoulder, she could see that the light was leaking in from a connecting room. The doorframe was vaguely familiar. Her magic must have remade _everything_ in the place. They were back in the rooms they had occupied the night before, except now they were refurnished. And sitting on an intricately woven rug.

Releasing him, she tilted back and pressed a hand to the center of his chest. It still had dried blood on it. His duster was nowhere to be seen, his shirt and vest blood stained and torn at a jagged angle. Before he could stop her she peeled them back and saw a shiny pink scar twice as long as her hand. _Oh._ Her hand tightened on his shirt.

He should be dead, but he wasn't. Her eyes snapped up to his. His eyes had darkened and he was regarding her in a way that made her feel slightly uncomfortable. To avoid his gaze she looked back down. Folding the fabric back together she wove several small threads of magic around. It didn't take long for it to patch back together. It took even less time for the magic to make the blood vanish. She swayed slightly. She was even more drained than she imagined.

"I guess that clears up the question about what my binding gift is." Her voice was softer than it normally was. She was afraid that if she said what had happened out loud he would fall dead in front of her.

Her brain had caught up with the situation at least. Cain's clothes had been slashed and stained but his skin was blood free. He smelled like water and soap. "Is there a place I can get clean?"

He helped her get to her feet and led her out of what turned out to be a fairly large bedroom and study. The room connected to it, the smaller one she had only glimpsed in the night before, turned out to be a bathroom. Cain must have been cleaning up when he felt her panic. His duster was tossed over the back of a chair in the corner, his hat and holster rested on the seat. His boots had been placed underneath its feet.

"Where's Ajax?" Was it odd that she thought it perfectly logical that her horse should have been waiting for her in the bathroom?

"He's grazing outside. I figured it'd be safe enough now that you finished with your magic." Well sure. Horses ate grass.

"Is he hurt?"

"Got a burn, but its not bad. I put some ointment on it to stop infection." Smart, practical Cain. She had no idea how she had managed to make it three months in the O.Z. without the man. She had less of an idea of how she had made it three days with him.

She nodded slowly. Cain left her standing in the center of the room walking barefoot over to the large tub in the corner. It was a beautiful old thing. Big and white with four large clawed feet holding it up. Rolling up one sleeve he turned the knobs and felt the temperature of the water as it poured out of the silver faucet.

Stepping away, he pointed to her left. "There's soap and towels under the sink. Call me if you need anything alright, DG?"

She nodded once more. He wasn't satisfied with that response and got close enough to cup her face in his hand. His eyes searched hers for a time but she wasn't hiding anything from him. He smoothed a stray hair behind her ear. She wanted to fall into him but resisted. "Take your time, Sweetheart. No telling when we'll get to see a place with working plumbing again." Withdrawing his hand, he grabbed his gun and left, closing the door behind him.

As soon as the doors clicked shut she salvaged a bar of soap and a fluffy green towel from below the sink. Setting them next to the tub, she stripped out of her soiled clothes and testing the temperature of the water, slid in. She turned off the taps and let herself submerge beneath the warm water. It was heaven. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be warm and clean all over.

Resurfacing, she reached a dripping arm over the edge and grabbed the soap. Lathering it up, she was pleased to find it smelled like apple blossoms and spices. She scrubbed at her skin until it was bright red, making sure every particle of dirt and blood was gone before she attacked her hair with an equal viciousness. The harsh scrubbing was therapeutic. As the dirt was removed so were her anxieties.

She would have remained in the warm water longer if it hadn't turned a murky reddish brown color. Instead, she got out and wrapped the towel around herself. She kicked her pile of dirty clothes with her foot. A small spurt of magic wound around them clearing away the grime and blood. It made her shake again but it was well worth the effort. She dried herself off then put her pants and black shirt back on. She threw the rest of her clothing on the chair and padded softly back into the bedroom.

Cain was standing in front of one of the bookshelves. He was paging slowly through what appeared to be an old journal. She stood in the doorway for a while, watching him and having trouble processing what she was feeling. Her stomach felt like it was knotting and unknotting. Her heart was constricting. She had nearly lost him. She couldn't breathe…

Her mind stuttered to a halt_. Oh no…_She leaned against the doorframe. Oh no. This was the worst timing in the world. This was so not possible. She'd gone and fallen in love with him. It _would_ take him nearly dying for her to realize that.

She blinked. His words from two days before were rapidly replaying through her head. "Love… Not lust…" The other night he hadn't been talking about him not loving her. Did that mean… Did that mean. Wait, _did _he love her? The thoughts slammed into her in rapid succession.

She saw his body jerk and the book dropped from his hand. His head whipped around, their eyes locking and she froze. He'd felt that. Shit, he freaking _felt _that. She tried to run back into the bathroom, but he was too fast for her.

Grabbing her arm, he pulled her back into the room, pressing her against the doorframe. She met his eyes, refusing to back down although she was petrified that he was going to reject her. His eyes had darkened so much that she wasn't sure they were even blue any more. Pressing his forehead against hers, he breathed, "Say it, DG."

She licked her lips. He had her arms pinned above her head and was slowly stroking her wrists with his thumbs. His pupils dilated as he pressed closer to her, the pressure sending heat shooting through her body.

"I love you, Wyatt Cain."

The smile, when it came, was so soft that DG felt her insides melt. "Good," he murmured, his breath fanning her cheek as his lips drew closer to hers. "'Cause I figure I love you too, Princess."

"It's, DG." She murmured half-heartedly. Her eyes fluttered shut and she met him half-way, their lips meeting in a fiery kiss that caused her knees to instantly go weak.

Author Note: Mwahahahaha I feel truly evil and almost bad about that cliffy. Thanks to Rose and her editing!


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Ok I feel bad about the cliffy so here ya go. This will make up for it I promise. I still own nothing but leave me a review they make me happy!

Cain felt her begin to slide down the wall and quickly released her wrists, his hands going immediately to her waist and lifting her up. She felt her feet leave the ground and without a thought wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms wrapping around his shoulders to anchor herself. And all the while, their kiss became more frantic.

She moaned into Cain's mouth as she felt him turn away from the wall. He made his way across the room and in a matter of moments she felt herself being lowered until her back met the soft surface of a mattress. When Cain made as if to pull away, she whimpered in protest, her arms tightening around his neck in objection. He was not getting away from her this time!

Feeling him chuckle in the back of his throat she growled at his nonsense and bit his lip. Hard. She was tired of him messing around. She was out of patience with this game.

He grabbed the back of her head and twisting his fingers in her hair tugged her away from his slightly swollen lip.

Raising an eyebrow, he regarded her. "Now if you're goin' to get wily, I promise you we'll stop this right now, DG."

Her eyes narrowed, "Not on your life, cowboy! If you stop this time I swear I will kill you!" she growled. Her hands clenched the lapels of his vest and pulled him back down to her.

Kissing around to her jaw, he breathed huskily into her ear, "Can't have that. Once is enough for the day."

His words made her heart clench as she was reminded of how she had nearly lost him. The memory spurred her into action, her hands going from clenched in his vest to pulling at it desperately, working it so that it was off his shoulders and being thrown across the room in record time. The shirt went next in her urgency to feel him beneath her hands. She ran her fingers across his chest, taking pleasure in the feel of the light smattering of hair that tickled her fingertips.

Flattening her palms against his chest, she hooked her right leg around one of Cain's and pushed, rolling them over in the process so that she on top of him. Straddling his hips, she smiled down at the man beneath her.

Wrapping his hands around her hips, he ground her down against him. "As much as I love to look at you, Darlin', I think your a bit overdressed for the occasion."

"Well," she practically purred in response, "We'll just have to fix that, then, won't we?" Grasping the hem of her blouse, she began to slowly draw it upward. Inch by inch, smooth, pale flesh was revealed and the Tin Man's eyes darkened more and more with desire. Soon, the white, lace covered mounds of her breasts were revealed. With a flourish, she whipped it over her head, dropping the fabric carelessly over the edge of the bed.

Her skin was flushed a delectable shade of pink, Cain noticed, and he couldn't seem to stop himself from running his hands up the length of her arms, his fingers caressing her shoulders before moving to trace the line of her collarbone. Continuing down, they gently brushed the swells of her breasts and her breathing hitched in anticipation. Cupping the soft mounds through the dainty piece of material, she could feel the tips hardened and she started pressing insistently into his palms as her breathing quickened. It wasn't enough, though. She wanted to feel him, all of him. His fingers deftly plucked at the straps holding her bra in place, sliding them down her arms until her breasts were freed from their cloth prison.

He drank in the sight of her, a deep rumbling growl building in his chest. His right hand brushed teasingly against her and she gasped at the sensation that shot straight to her core. She waited for him to touch her fully and when he didn't, she lost it completely.

"Quit playing around, dammit!" she growled, grabbing both his hands and placed them over her breasts, holding them there with her own. "Now _touch_ me."

Cain's chest rumbled beneath her. "We've got all night Sweetheart. Let me take my time with you. For once in your life you might find that patience can be a virtue."

'_Screw patience,'_ she though, starting to roll her eyes, but instead squealed in surprise when Cain quickly reversed their positions once again. He settled easily into the cradle of her thighs, one arm propping him above her as his other hand traveled down between them. His fingers found the button of her jeans and as he undid the fastening, his mouth swooped down to envelop the tip of her left breast.

She arched beneath him, urging him to take more of her in. She sighed happily when he complied, the warmth of his mouth encompassing the rose colored skin. His tongue flicked at her nipple and she moaned, her fingers finding purchase in his short hair to anchor him to her. She felt the button of her jeans give way, followed quickly by the sound of a zipper being undone. Cain released her breast with an audible pop as he rose up on his knees above her. His hands went to her hips, gripping the sides of her jeans and she raised her hips, allowing him to ease the denim down her legs, eventually leaving her in only a pair of emerald green panties.

"Green," Cain smirked. "Is that an Otherside thing, or just a DG thing?"

She swatted him on the shoulder, a blush of an entirely different kind taking hold and spreading across her face. "Hey. Never question a girl's unmentionables." she huffed, then smiled slyly. "If you don't care for the color, you could always... take them off."

Smiling, Cain hooked his thumbs under the bright green straps, "I never did like that color." he admitted, "Besides, you look really good in pink." With a slight tug, the material slipped past her hips. "Brings out the color of your eyes." Down her legs. "Let's see if we can do anything about that." He murmured as he slowly slid the last piece of clothing from her body.

He took a moment to admire her beauty; simply looking at her laid out before him like a queen's feast, calling for him to taste her; every dip, every curve. He found himself unable to resist. He lowered his head to trail kisses across her chest, as his hand moved across her stomach, pausing to stroke her hip before continuing on to the juncture of her thighs.

Was he was going to do what she thought he was? _'Oooh, yes!'_ Her breath caught as his fingers began to stroke her intimately.

"Patience, huh?" she gasped, "For you, I can do patience."

Head resting just above her curls, Cain's eyes flicked up to her and she could have_ sworn _she saw a glint of lust-filled glee within their icy blue depths. His eyes never breaking contact with hers, he placed another kiss on her hipbone. "That's good, Sweetheart," he drawled sexily, "'Cause you didn't have much of a choice. It's about time _I _got to drive _you_ crazy."

His large, calloused hand covered her hip, his thumb caressing the place he had kissed. She started to whine in protest when she felt him removed the fingers that had been creating a magic all their own between her legs, but the sound turned instantly into a strangled moan when his tongue took over. Her eyes slammed shut as he licked along her opening, his fingers brushing reverently through her curls. The tips of his fingers rubbed against her clit, causing her hips to rise off the bed in response to the lightening jolt that spread quickly throughout her body. The hand on her hip tightened its grip as she started to make the strangest mewling noises. It was all so very deliberate. Damn him, he _was_ going to drive her crazy!

"Wyatt, please… stop teasing." She pleaded hoarsely.

Always obliging, the Tin Man moved his mouth up ever so slightly and began to trace her bud with the tip of his tongue. Her breath hitched. She could feel herself coiling up as the pleasure began to build. For a man of few words he certainly had a _clever _tongue. She was spiraling higher when she felt one of his finger slide easily into her.

"Wyatt!"

Her brain shut down and she found herself grasping at the quilt beneath her for some sort of anchor. His tongue began to flick against her in earnest, working alongside the stroking of his hand. She was practically sobbing as she could feel her body about to break apart; she distantly thought she heard herself begging. Then simultaneously he suckled her and crooked his finger up with a hard sweeping motion and stars exploded behind her eyes. She let out a high pitched keen as her body stiffened, then started to quake uncontrollably.

Even after the first wave of pleasure had faded, she could feel his hand moving against her, keeping the fire from dying down completely. Forcing her eyes open, she found him smirking sexily at her as he continued to stroke her. Completely surprised by this very out of character expression, accompanied by the picture of his hand where it was, she felt another wave of pleasure hit her before she knew what had happened.

When she finally came back to herself, Cain was stretched out next to her. He was propped up on an elbow and looking down at her, smirk still firmly in place. At the moment she felt he deserved it. She had never felt _anything_ like that in her life. Her body was limp and tingly. _Damn._

He raised an eyebrow when she smiled coyly back up at him before lacing one of her legs over his. As fast as her body would allow, she managed to regain the high ground as she leaned over him with hands pressed to the bed just below his biceps. She met him look for look. Her arm tingled and she could feel him waiting for whatever was about to come out of her mouth this time.

"Color me impressed," she began, her hips rocking against his as she spoke. "I only have one, _teeny_, tiny criticism."

His eyes were both irritated and amused as his hips bucked up against her. One of his arms snaked up to caress her tattoo.

"And what might that be, Princess?" He rumbled back at her.

Leaning down, she kissed the side of his mouth, "You're still wearing pants."

He snorted. Flipping them back over - apparently he liked to be on top - he rocked against her. "You're not the shy type, are you, Sweetheart?"

Instead of responding, she reached between the small space between them and began to undo the snaps on his pants. She struggled with them for a moment, but soon enough had them free. Not one to waste time, she slid a hand into his pants, cupping him gently.

He hissed at the contact, pressing himself against her hand as she began to massage the rigid length. His face found its way to the crook of her neck. She could hear him panting, feel his hot breath fanning her skin, and a sense of power swept through her.

Before she could get into much of a rhythm, he grabbed her hand and pulled it away. Confused by the sudden shift in tempo, she froze. Cain kissed her neck lovingly, "Sorry, Sweetheart, I haven't done this since…" he murmured the soft confession against her ear. "Just don't want it to be over before it starts. I want to feel all of you, Darlin."

She relaxed. That was perfectly fine by her. They had the same goal; now there was only one obstacle standing in the way: The Pants. She tried to push them off with her heels and was only moderately successful. Cain made a choking sound against her neck and pushed himself up. Divesting himself of the troublesome garment in short order, he lay gently back on top of her.

Spreading her legs, she wrapped them firmly around his waist as he positioned himself at her entrance. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest. Propping himself up on one arm, he cupped her face with the other as he leaned in to kiss her so passionately it made her toes curl. She whimpered softly against his lips as he pressed fully into her. She broke the kiss with a moan.

He fit so perfectly, filling her completely and this felt even better than what he had done before. Her shoulder was tingling like mad and he still hadn't let go of her face. Opening her eyes, she found him gazing down at her with open adoration. She shivered, delighted as he kissed her again, his eyes darkening with lust. Then he began to move.

He kept the pace agonizingly slow. She could feel every inch of him as he moved within her, in and out, punctuated every so often by a delightful swivel of his hips; and all the while, his eyes never left hers. It was overwhelming.

He felt her inner walls tightening around him and he hissed her name between his teeth. His hand moved from her face, ghosting down her body as he rose up slightly on his knees, both hands gripping her hips and lifting her as he began to thrust into her harder. She began to whimper and pant his name again. This spurred him on and his pace became even more frantic. She felt her body preparing to fall apart again and her grip on him tightened, her nails digging into his back so hard she just _knew_ she'd drawn blood.

Nearly sobbing from the emotions and sensations shooting through her body, she could hear Cain's strained plea in her ear.

"Come for me, Sweetheart."

She screamed; her body convulsing as she clutched him to her desperately. She was at the tail end of her orgasm when she felt Cain's hips buck one last time into hers. With a guttural roar he fell on top of her, breathing hard. Slowly, she let one of her legs fall to the side and brushed her fingers slowly through his short, blond locks. He shifted just enough to the side to let her breath. She was somewhat surprised he let her continue to play with his hair.

After a few minutes, he reached down and managed to get the tangled quilt over their bodies. Shifting, she cuddled up against his chest as fatigue began to take over. She felt him drape an arm over her back and she sighed in contentment.

"Wyatt?" she breathed, softly.

"Hmm?"

"So you know, if you ever have the urge to call me _kiddo_ again, I'd just like you to remember what happened tonight."

An exasperated sigh was her only reply.

Author Note: Huge gigantic mondo big thanks to Rose on this one. She wrote and/or rewrote all my smutty bits. So give her a round of applause.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. I would like to see if there is a way of purchasing a ticket to the O.Z. via travel storm. I'm kinda worried I'd end up picking a tornado instead.

The next morning, DG discovered that waking up Wyatt was her new favorite past time. It resulted in unusual expletives and pleasurable repercussions. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself strewn carelessly across the Tin Man's chest. She could hear his heart beating steadily beneath her ear and she took a moment to appreciate the situation before a wonderfully wicked idea jumped into her head.

Moving as slowly as possible in order not to wake him, she shimmied slowly beneath the quilt and down his body. He stirred slightly as she moved, his arm shifting to try and find her suddenly absent body. _Shoot._ He was lucky his light sleeping came in handy on other occasions, but right now she was going to have to speed up her plans.

DG settled herself comfortably between his legs and began to touch him with her fingertips. She didn't want him to wake up quite yet. That would take all the fun out of it. Holding back her laughter, she continued to stimulate him softly until he was completely erect before she leaned down to run her tongue up the underside of him. She heard him mutter something unintelligible and his thigh twitched.

Placing her hands on his thighs for balance she pressed on, taking his tip into her mouth, her tongue swirling around him until she felt him awaken completely. He let out a muffled curse she hadn't ever heard him utter before and suddenly his hands were reaching under the blanket to try and pull her up. She was both amused and a tad annoyed at his attempt to stop her fun and batted the hands away.

Taking him fully in her mouth, she began to bob up and down, coaxing a groan from Cain. His hand came back into view, this time not to deter her, but to rest gently on her head. Now sure he wasn't going to go anywhere, she moved one of her hands to assist in her stimulation of him, wrapping it around the base of his shaft as she continued to take as much of him into her mouth as she could. With a twist and a lick she was more than pleased to hear the hoarse groans of her name coming from her Tin Man.

She increased her efforts when she felt him start to tense, but Cain, anticipating her intentions, moved his hands from her head to under her arms and hauled her up his body and into a passionate kiss. She smiled against him and since she still had her hand wrapped around him she raised her hips, positioned him, and slid down in one smooth move.

Pushing herself up on his chest, she rose up, almost letting him slide out before dropping back down on him hard. She was not in the mood for gentle this morning. Cain had made her feel all kinds of wonderful last night and she fully intended to return the favor. If it meant another trip to nirvana for her, well then, all the better.

Arching her back, she found the angle she had been searching for and moaned softly. Cain's hands came up to grip her hips as she fell back down on him, his own hips rising to meet hers. She began to rock forward every time she came down, grinding herself against him as her vision began to get cloudy around the edges.

It wasn't long before she felt Cain begin to tense beneath her and she sped up, trying to reach her peak with him. One of his hands left her hip and a callused thumb rubbed the bundle of nerves between her legs. The stimulation was enough to throw her over the edge, her hips jerking as she cried out her pleasure before sagging against him. As he pulled her close, she felt him release inside of her with a shout.

Panting, she kissed his jaw. Now_ that_ was a great way to wake up in the morning, even better than coffee. She could only imagine what it would be like to combine the two. She could feel Cain's heartbeat trying to level out below her. She grinned and laughed softly next to his ear, loving the fact that she could get him so worked up.

His head turned and DG found herself regarded with two contented blue eyes. "Good morning to you, too, Sweetheart."

She laughed harder and, giving him one last kiss for good measure, got out of bed and began to hunt down her clothes. She spotted her much-discussed panties on the top of a bookshelf and rolled her eyes. Was that really necessary? Stretching up on tiptoes, she managed to snag them and with a triumphant smile, slipped them on. Turning around to find the rest, she realized that she was being intensely scrutinized by one Wyatt Cain.

Sitting against the headboard, wearing nothing but that smirk, Cain had been watching her tackle the bookcase problem. And she was naked. That must have made it much more fun for him. Speaking of which, where were the rest of her clothes? Scrambling around she managed to get her pants and bra on in short order. Her shirt was on the bed.

Cain still hadn't moved. Fine, she would give in. "Ok, what?"

"Where are you going, Darlin'?"

She gave him the 'you must be crazy look'. "Uh, the library, duh. I have to find out what happened to Ariana."

Cain had clearly lost track of her thought process. He searched her face and then she felt him reach through their link. That was odd. What was he…"For heaven sakes, Cain! I'm not a love em' and leave em' type of girl so stop that!" He had the grace to appear slightly ashamed.

She sighed and walked back over to the bed plopping down next to him. My, they were a pair. Grabbing his head she made sure he was looking her dead in the eye. She had a strong suspicion she wasn't the only one with some very severe issues that needed to be tackled. "I realize that technically we have only been in each others company for a grand total of two weeks, and in that time both of us have been on one hell of an adventure, but I love you. And despite the fact that I'm obviously emotionally challenged and have a tendency to loose my temper, I'm not going to just run off and leave… Or disappear, or whatever it is you think I'm going to do, ok?"

Something she couldn't identify flickered in his eyes. Stroking his temple with her thumb, she folded her legs up on the bed and scooted closer to him. She felt him searching her through the link again and shied away from the intrusion momentarily. She had always pushed her emotions back or him out when she felt him do this before, except for last night. Now she was aware that they were at a crossroads. If she let him in completely she would be defenseless against this man. Despite all her trust and even the love she felt for him that made her very uncomfortable.

If she didn't let him in she thought it likely that he would never truly be able to trust her, maybe even with his life. But she was sure there were things about this man that he would take to the grave before revealing to anyone he deemed unworthy. How far would they get if they couldn't trust one another. Was it worth it? Was he? That question decided it. Taking his hand, she placed it slowly on her tattoo and let down all the barriers she had consciously put around herself since she had been blown into this world.

He gripped her shoulder spasmodically, ice blue eyes widening. Then she felt him tentatively drift in. It took all of her self-control to remain relaxed as he started searching for what he needed. She just wished she knew what it was, she would have helped. She felt him pause suddenly in his search and she drifted along with him. He had stopped at her memories and feeling of their first meeting.

Once there he scored every detail he could find. From the first time she'd heard Adora's recorded scream to their first entrance into the Papay Fields. She made no effort to curtail his expedition down her memory lane but she was badly confused. He had been there for this. Why did he want to see it again? She doubted he would gain much from the images or emotions he got from her at any rate. It had been her first day back in the O.Z. and she had half thought she was dead or crazy.

After several minutes he withdrew completely from her mind. "Thank you." He said in a shaky voice. He picked her up, setting her to the side and getting into his pants.

He wasn't getting off that easily. "Wyatt? Why did you want to see that?"

Running his hand through his hair he glanced at her but made no comment, instead he reached down to grab his shirt. She went from confused to royally pissed off in zero point three seconds. She had just let him have full access to her mind and he wasn't going to answer her question? Standing to face him, she snatched the shirt from his hands and tossed it over her shoulder. She could feel her magic crackling around her in response to her wrath. Cain braced himself but didn't back down. She grudgingly gave him a few points for that.

"Why did you want to see that, Cain?" Her voice had gone deadly soft. If he thought he was the only one that could get information he was about to learn a valuable lesson. She had learned how to frighten people with her magic. She wasn't above using it on him right now. She was livid, even with the threat of killer mages coming in to visit. She was pretty sure she could vaporize about a dozen without a problem at the moment.

His eyes bore into hers. He was trying to get her to back down. She narrowed her eyes and raised her head, challenging him. They glared at one another for a long time, more than magic sparking around them. Finally Cain's lip quirked ever so slightly at the corner and he reached out to caress her face. She twitched away from his touch. No way was he getting off that easy. "I'm _not _going to let you distract me, now fess up."

He sighed. "I needed to know what you felt when you let me out of the suit."

"Eh?" _Oh, __**real**__ coherent, DG._

"Sweetheart… you have a tendency to attach yourself to people for the wrong reasons. I needed to know that you didn't fall for me out of some sort of pity."

Her jaw dropped. _What the hell?_ The magic that had been crackling around them vanished instantly as she relaxed her posture minutely, although her confusion remained. For the moment she was going to ignore the 'wrong reasons' thing. "Pity? I felt a lot of things when I found you. None of them were pity." She searched her memory. "I was angry at the people that did that to you, worried about what had happened to your family. I also thought you might be as crazy as Glitch, but more grumpy… with a gun. Then I thought you had to be the bravest person I'd ever met. But not pity, Wyatt."

Cain snorted. "You're an odd one. Darlin' do you know how many people would have run at a group of Longcoats with nothing but a _stick_ to save a family of strangers? Or would have let anyone out of a tin suit?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Well, you would have, minus the stick. You never could appreciate its true potential. Plus the Longcoats were just a projection. And who _wouldn't_ let someone out of a tin suit?"

Cain smiled a sad smile then. He reached out for her and DG allowed him to draw her to him. "Sometimes, I wonder how many people saw that projection and high tailed it out of there. Then, out of the blue, you came charging in with that stick. And by Dorothy, you thought it was all real. You should have seen your expression when they disappeared. Never seen anyone so ready for a fight they were sure to lose. It was the first time I felt anything but numb in longer than I care to remember, although I wasn't about to tell you."

"Yup, I was right. You're a little crazy."

Cain laughed at that. "Yes, well, no one completely sane would be able to put up with you." Bending down, he kissed her nose. She wrinkled it in response. "It's why I left, Sweetheart. I didn't think it was a good idea for me to be around you with both of us trying to adjust to our new lives. We would have clung together and the last thing you needed was a half crazed ex-tin man hanging about. You needed to learn about running the country and I needed to figure out a few things. I was going to come back."

She punched him hard in the arm. "Cain, you should have at _least _said goodbye."

Rubbing his bicep, he stated "I never would have left once you looked at me with those big blue eyes and you know it."

She humphed at him. "It's my secret weapon against half crazy Tin Men. Now, anything else you need to know before we go and immerse ourselves in the giant dusty books of doom?"

"No, but if I think of anything I'll let you know." Reaching around her, he grabbed both their shirts and his vest, tossing her the dark top. She pulled it over her head before trotting into the bathroom to gather the rest of their things, returning with an armload of leather and socks. They finished dressing and Cain opened the door, checking to make sure it was clear.

On their way to the main library they went outside to find Ajax. He was up and grazing close to the side door that Cain had left him at the night before. He whinnied happily in greeting and knocked her over in his excitement. She heard Cain sigh good-naturedly somewhere above her. "Geez, Ajax, I missed you to."

He snorted into her hand when she patted his very close nose, then he paused. He backed up a bit and she sat up rubbing her back. Suddenly his nose hit her in the stomach. Her body didn't know whether it wanted to flinch or giggle from the sensation. He began to circle her sniffing her all over. Was he a horse or a bloodhound? "Hey! We've been over this before!"

Ajax moved back completely and let her stand up. He turned to the Tin Man and head butted him into the wall. Cain let what sounded like an "oaff" as all the air left his lungs. Ignoring this, Ajax proceeded to give Cain the same treatment he had just given her, only less gently. Before the man could regain his air supply, Ajax had grabbed one of his lapels with his teeth, spun him away from the wall and knocked him flat on his back.

Placing one hoof on the center of her guardian's chest, he tilted his head so that he could stare the Tin Man in the eye. Cain finally managed to get in a wheezing breath of air. "What the hell?"

Ajax laid his ears back and applied a slight amount of pressure to his chest. Cain blinked. Ajax, now sure that he had his attention, looked at DG, then back down to the man below his hoof. He had made his point very clear. She couldn't help herself. She giggled. That was just the sweetest thing any horse had ever done for her.

Cain darted a glance at her, unsure if it was safe to turn his attention from the horse. "Mind telling me why your horse is about to crush me?"

"I think this is his way of saying that, if you break my heart, he'll make you wish you were dead." Ajax nodded, never taking his eyes off Cain.

To say Cain was startled would have been an understatement, but he recovered fairly well, given the situation. Regarding the horse seriously, he said, "Point taken. I assure you my intentions are honorable."

Ajax nickered under his breath, but stepped off him. Cain picked himself up and dusted off his hat, replacing it on his head. Horse and man were glaring at each other. She was failing to turn her spasmodic laughter into fake coughing. "So, who's up for a trip to the library?"

Author Note: Thanks to Rose once more! Please leave me some reviews! School makes it harder for me to post but the reviews spur me on and I'm only about halfway through the fic. Motivate me people!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I wonder if I ask real nice if Tin Man will let me borrow something? Probably not…

Now deeply suspicious of the Tin Man, Ajax decided to accompany them to the library. He trotted behind them, snuffling every now and then as if Cain had somehow betrayed him. For his part, Cain ignored him. DG simply found the whole thing incredibly funny and laced her fingers with Cain's.

Walking along the long hallways she was aware that she was happy for the first time in a long time. Not only was she not stuck in the palace, her body was all but vibrating from the last twelve hours of fun time with Wyatt. And even though Ajax was miffed, he was just watching out for her. And gosh darn it that was sweet.

Cain tugged her closer, untangling their fingers but wrapping his arm around her waist. Ajax snorted a warning behind them. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush back there or next time a cute tail walks by, I'll tie you to a tree." He wuffled semi-rebelliously.

Cain quirked his lips. "You're a harsh woman."

"Hey, I'm not the one he wanted to stomp."

"He was making a point. I can respect that."

Ajax snorted in agreement.

She looked back and forth between them. What? Was this whole glaring thing an act? "Guys are sooo weird."

They continued along and she started looking around at the paintings on the walls. Most of them, she guessed, were of historical figures or deans or scholars. Most were, well, boring. A few caught her interest though. They were landscapes or paintings of different tribes found around the O.Z. It wasn't until the third turn that she was aware Cain knew where they were going.

"How do you know where we are?"

Cain shrugged. "I went to school here."

She balked. "What?"

"Tin Man training. You have to attend two years at a university. I chose this one; it was closer to my family's home."

"Your family lives near here?"

"Well, they use to. My mother died when I was nineteen. I lost track of my father a while back. Me and Jeb have been trying to hunt him down for the last few months. He's as sneaky as your father. Think that's were Jeb gets it from. Could take some time."

She blinked. Cain had just given her more information about himself in a few breaths than he had in all their time together. With no hesitation. She figured she should reward him.

Leaning in, she pecked him on the cheek. "I can help."

"Let's see if we can live through this adventure first, Sweetheart. Then we can worry about finding my father, assuming he's alive." She heard the smile in his voice.

She poked him lightly in the side. "No biggie, all I need is a map. After you and Raw left I couldn't sleep much so I spent most of my time in the library practicing my magic. I wanted to know what I could do and all Toto would teach me was theory and small spells. Az found me one night and showed me a nifty locating spell. I should be able to adapt it to find just about anybody."

Cain had stopped, letting her go to look at her. His face was blank. "You mean to tell me you learned all the spells you've been doing _by yourself_?"

She tilted her head. "Nooo. There was a whole section of books that told me the different things I could do. I only got through about half. The palace guards were a real nuisance, I had to keep hiding. Once I knew what I could do I just had to practice."

Cain shook his head like he was trying to shake water out of his ears. "DG, I don't know much about magic, but that isn't normal. Mages have to be trained. I've never heard of anyone who could just read about it and replicate a spell. If Toto had found out he would have skinned you alive."

She saw the flaw in his logic. "That's just silly Cain. Someone had to start making spells. They certainly didn't have anyone telling them what to do. They didn't even have any books."

Cain opened his mouth. Then he closed it, then opened it again. Sighing he grabbed her hand again. "Let's just get to the library."

When they got there she was both elated and slightly heart broken. The place was _ginormous!_ The library of the Central City Palace could have fit in a corner of this place. She could feel her fingers itching to find the section on magic books. To bad that wasn't why they were here. One day, she promised herself, they would come back and she would ensconce herself in one of the window seats and never leave.

"Oh, wow!" She started to bounce from foot to foot. Her mark tingled and Cain chuckled at her excitement.

"Calm down, Darlin', the books aren't going to go anywhere."

"I've never seen so many books! Where should we start?" She bounded down the flight of stairs that led to the rows and rows of books. She spun around in a circle and spotted several balconies. Her excitement skyrocketed. "Wyatt! There's more than one floor!"

He grinned as he walked down the stairs to join her. "I know, I spent more than one night trapped in here. I take it you enjoy reading?"

"Uhuh!"

"That's good, because I have a feeling this could take awhile. Of course, the O.Z. would want us to find out something generations of scholars have been trying and failing to discover."

Her spirits sank. "Generations?"

"Afraid so."

She squared her shoulders, slapped a hand over her face and sticking her other hand out spun in a tight circle. When she came to a halt she spread her fingers and followed the line her arm had made. Craning her neck to see Cain, she winked and headed off in that direction. She would let sheer dumb luck guide her.

She could hear Cain sigh as he followed her. Ajax whinnied at them and they turned to look at him. He was still standing at the top of the stairs with a hangdog expression.

"Well, come on, Fleabag."

Ajax nickered pathetically, eyeing the stairs as if they were snakes. DG flashed back to the last day of senior year.

"Cain, I don't think Ajax can do stairs. You know, like a cow. He can go up them but not down."

Ajax sighed, pacing the length of the top step. "Sorry, Jaxy, you'll have to wait there for us." He hung his head but didn't argue.

Walking among the shelves, Cain asked, "How do you know cows can't walk down stairs?"

She giggled. "On the Otherside there's this tradition that the graduating class has on the last day of school. They come up with a prank to play on the teachers and administrators. If you can beat the one that the class before you pulled then you get bragging rights. My year we decided that we would get a cow up on the second floor of the school because we learned in bio class that their knees won't let them go down stairs. I decided it would be even better if we stole our local cop's cow. He never did forgive me for that."

Cain's lips were twitching like mad. "Glad to know you were driving someone else crazy before we met."

She sidled up to him. "I don't think I was driving him crazy in the same way." His eyes darkened and he had her pressed against a bookshelf in short order. He peppered her face with kisses as she wrapped her arms around him. She lightly scratched the back of his neck with her nails, causing him to hiss and nip at her lips. She grinned against him and, still feeling giddy, slipped out of his grasp, grabbing his hat and sprinted away. Ah, sweet kleptomania.

"Hey! Get back here!" She heard his boots clipping against the tile floor behind her and dove toward another staircase. Good thing she had a head start. She scrambled up them, her laughter echoing around the large room and just managed to avoid his hand snatching at her arm. She dashed toward the nearest room and grabbing the sill, used her forward momentum to swing herself inward.

She had thrown herself into one of the balconies that overlooked the main floor of the library. It was a small room with five large shelves of books and a large table to work at. It also had two battered chairs and an old sofa tucked in the corner behind the farthest of the shelves. She had effectively trapped herself, but to be honest, she hadn't really been trying to escape.

Turning breathlessly back toward the doorway, she plopped the hat on her head and put her arms innocently behind her back as Cain skidded into view. His breath came in short puffs as he glared half-heartedly at her. Her arm was still tingling with mischief and his glare changed to a smirk. She took a step backward and when he took a step forward, she took another step back. That's when he pounced.

Grabbing her, he picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder. She let out a startled gasp and threw a hand up to stop the hat from falling off her head. She found herself in a position to analyze the craftsmanship of the back of Cain's duster. It was, in her expert opinion, very brown. "This is very caveman of you, Cain. Are you going to put me down?"

"That depends, are you going to run off with my hat again?"

"It's totally possible that I will."

"You are exasperating."

"Yes, but you love me anyway!"

The next thing she knew he had flipped her gently upright and set her on the table. Her legs dangled off the sides and he moved to stand between them. She pushed the hat back with her thumb so she could see him properly. He had that soft smile back on his face and she felt her insides melt.

"True." He admitted before leaning down to kiss her again. This time it was soft and sweet, his hand wrapping around the back of her neck to pull her up against him. She wriggled closer to him with a whimper. One of her legs wrapped around his thigh and she started to pull his coat from his shoulders. He let it slide to the ground and his hands left her briefly only to return the moment they were free.

She sighed contentedly against his lips as she felt his hands creep beneath her shirt. She felt him smile, then nearly jumped out of her skin when his gentle caress turned into horrid tickling! "Ahh! Noo, not the ribs!" She started to giggle and squirm away. "Bad, Wyatt!" He grinned at her but didn't desist.

He finally stopped when she threatened to set his hat on fire. She grinned up at him and deciding he was done teasing, rested her head on his chest. The brim of his hat folded down between his vest and her forehead. She played with the collar of his shirt while she regained her breath.

Leaning back, she rested on her elbows and regarded him seriously for the first time since they entered the library. "Ok, let's get this show on the road. What exactly should we be looking for?"

Cain sighed, running a hand through his hair. His other hand was being distracting and rubbing small circles on the outside of her upper thigh. "We're going to need to find some maps of the realm. New ones and ones that were made during or around the time of the Five Winters War. We also need history books that detail that war, Ariana, and markings and most importantly, any journals of people who were involved in the war or were close to Ariana."

She stared out over the balcony to the library, feeling daunted. This would take _forever_. She flicked her gaze at Cain. Or, it could take substantially less time. After all, the O.Z. had promised to be honest with her. She wondered how far that promise would stretch.

"Uh, Cain?"

"Just tell me."

"I think I can convince the Outer Zone to help. But I'm going to have to trance out for a minute." Even to her own ears, she sounded unsure.

Cain was dubious. "I don't think you and the O.Z. are on the best of terms, Princess. Do you think it'll help?"

She sighed, "Only one way to find out."

Cain grabbed her hand and lead her to the old couch she had seen when they had first entered the room. She settled on it cross-legged and gave his hand a squeeze. He bent down in front of her and stroked her cheek. "Please try to control your temper, Sweetheart."

"Oh, now we_ both_ know that's unrealistic."

He snorted and kissed her once more before standing up and moving to gaze over the balcony. Turning his head he smiled. "I'll be here watching, so don't worry."

Winking at him she closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. She let herself sink into her magic, feeling it hum around her. Once her consciousness was fully enveloped, she extended herself to the Outer Zone. It acknowledged her and opened their link. _Here we go again._

Authors Note: Thanks to Rose for her betaness! Leave me a review and I'll love you forever!


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Oh the sorrow the shame the… just read the damn chapter.

She was disconcerted to find herself suspended in darkness. She could see and feel nothing. It was way creepy. Didn't the O.Z. have an imagination?

_We did not call to you._

"Yeah, I know, but I need a favor."

_We are not here to do you favors. You are our healer. You are to heal us._

"That's hard to do without information."

_You are in the largest library in the realm. Start reading._

Well _that _wasn't snotty at all. She fought to keep her temper. It was slipping out of her control. She gave herself thirty more seconds of niceties before she snapped. "I love to read and all but this is crazy. People have been trying to figure out what happened to Ariana for years. All I need is for you to send me the right books and journals. I can do the rest."

_Do you think we have nothing better to do than coddle you as you go about your task? We have others to attend to! You are hardly the favored child. We must protect the chosen as you give us back our strength!_

Cold fear seeped into her. "What? What chosen? I thought I was the chosen one?"

_Arrogant girl. You are marked, true. That hardly means you are chosen._

"Then who were the mages after when they killed Toto? Who did I stop them from getting?" She was afraid she knew the answer.

_Your counterpart. The Light that will rule our people. She who holds the emerald._

"Az" she breathed.

_She will be a great queen. Perhaps the greatest of them all. But we cannot help her hold power unless we are healed. The House of Gale must remain in control of the realm or civil war will erupt._

Desperation crept into her voice. "Then help me! Send me the books I need to solve this mystery and I swear on my life I will stop them from hurting Az."

The Outer Zone was startled by their sudden agreement on the subject. _Very well we will give you what you need. Do not waste time when we give you this it will take away magic that is guarding your sister. She will need you soon. Be wary as you gather your forces._

The O.Z. slipped away and she struggled out of her self-induced trance with a gasp. She tumbled forward off the battered couch and braced herself for impact. Cain managed to catch her inches before she face planted on the tiled floor. She was shaking like mad as she struggled to right herself. This was the worst thing that could have happened. It was one thing to be a target, it another to have her sister as one.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Cain's voice was sharp. She could feel his anxiety in the way his body was holding hers. He had gone into hyper protective mode. He was crouched above her, his arm around her head his gun drawn searching the area for attackers.

"There's no one here." She scrambled out from under him and toward the table where she felt magic flaring.

"DG! What's the matter?" She barely heard the question as four thick books, a pile of maps, and a dozen journals materialized on the table in a bright yellow cloud. She reached out to snatch the nearest one but Cain spun her around to face him. He held her upper arms in a tight grip. Her breathing had become erratic.

"Take a deep breath, Darlin'." His voice was soothing. She struggled to obey. "Good. In through your nose, out through your mouth." She half managed to follow his instructions. "Once more. And again." She finally managed to get her lungs to function properly.

"Good girl," He wrapped one arm around her back and held her close. The other hand started to massage the newly tense muscles of her neck. She thanked her lucky stars for the binding in that moment. It made her tension drain to a manageable level. She'd never had a panic attack before. She couldn't say she'd enjoyed it much.

"That was a new level of fun for you, Sweetheart. What brought that on?" She buried her head in his chest, just realizing that she was still wearing his hat. She wasn't sure she wanted to put it into words so she grabbed the hand that had been rubbing her neck and moved it to her shoulder without moving her head.

He understood what she was asking and carefully unbuttoned the top few buttons of her shirt and slid his hand to her tattoo. She felt her arm tingle as she used her magic and the binding to let him go fully into her recent memory. He scanned the incident quickly and slipped away when he had seen everything.

"That's an unexpected bump in the road."

She let out a strangled laugh. "Yeah, well, we never have any of those, right?"

She felt his chest rumble against her. "We'd best get started, Sweetheart." He caressed the skin of her shoulder once before removing his hand and settling down at one of the chairs. He grabbed the closest of the maps and began to unroll it. He started searching for something to hold down the sides and she shimmered a number of stones from the field outside to the table next to his elbow. He grinned up at her.

As she passed him to get to the other chair, she stopped, placed his hat on his head before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his jaw. "Thank you." He reached up and squeezed her arm. She gave him one last squeeze and moved to the other chair.

She hauled one of the books toward her and began to read. They spent the rest of the day reading and making notations on the various maps the Outer Zone had provided them with. By the time the second sun had set, DG recognized they had a serious problem. Her eyes were blurry from reading and she could feel her head pounding. She and Cain had started putting small stones in every location they thought it likely that Ariana had been mortally cursed.

"What happened to her? I've never heard or read about magic that eats away at someone like that. Even possession doesn't make a body disentigrate. What am I supposed to be stopping?"

Cain had merely grunted in frustration.

By the time she had finished skimming the books and Cain had found any passages relating to Ariana in the journals they had over two dozen stones situated on four of the maps from the Five Winters War period. An hour after that, they had moved the stones to their corresponding locations on the most recent and accurate of the maps that they had been given.

All of the stones were located in the Lake Country, half of them bunched farther south than Finaqua. Two were on Finaqua and the rest were scattered to the east. She gazed at the map, thinking. The reports of what had happened, as Cain had told her, were indeed conflicting.

Cain sighed. "It would take us at least a month to hit every one of these locations and that's _if _we knew what were looking for." He regarded her. She shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

"I'm guessing I'd be able to feel the magic, but I'd have to be close. At least that means we can rule out Finaqua. If there was anything there, I would have found it already, or it would have found me." Cain reached over and removed the two stones that rested on that location.

She leaned forward and crossed her arms, resting her head on them. "We have to be missing something. Its probably something simple. Something… Something a scholar would never think to ask." Her head shot up. "Cain… if you had been that general and wanted to meet someone in secret at a safe location, where would you have gone?"

Cain went quiet, regarding the map thoughtfully. DG gave him time to process her question. "If I had been him, with all the chaotic loss and gain of land at the end of the war and the time it took for her to disappear and for him to bring her back to camp, then we can rule out everything to the east." He removed all those stones.

"Ariana was a battle mage; I'm betting she would have used a travel storm, Cain. I would focus on his rate of travel alone. Not hers."

He nodded. "According to the journals he had one horse. It was carrying him and Ariana. I'm betting the horse was already tired when they started out from the fight. He would have had to sneak out and then travel at break neck speed to avoid getting caught by either side. But since he was a general it would have been a damn good horse." He gazed at the map removing eight more stones.

Five stones still remained on the map. All of them were grouped closely together on or around four lakes. She leaned in to see them. Three were grouped close together and it appeared that there was a small village on the west side of one of them. The forth was very small and judging by the topography was nestled in a small gorge. They had at least narrowed down the search. Her lips turned up in a small smile and she looked up at Cain.

Her smile fell when she saw his grim expression and pale features. "Wyatt?"

He pointed at the small village, ice blue eyes cold. "That's where Jeb and Raw were heading with the rest of the resistance fighters."

Her breath caught. "How long until they get there?"

He did a quick mental calculation. "If they didn't run into trouble, this morning."

"Shit," She was afraid and angry. "For once let's hope they ran into trouble."

Cain's temper finally snapped, his fist slammed into the table as he shouted, "It doesn't matter! It would take us days to catch up!"

She jumped in surprise at his outburst. Then she grabbed his face and nearly released him when she saw the feral rage in his eyes. She locked her eyes with his. "Travel storm, Wyatt!" His eyes calmed slightly. "Wyatt, I need you to picture the village for me. I can't get us there without directions." His eyes went distant and she let her light spark into him for an instant. She got the snapshot.

She released his head and wrapped her hand around his knuckles. She felt a small amount of magic leave her and mend the newly formed bruises he had made. "You may need that, now, lets grab our stuff and haul ass."

On impulse, she grabbed five of the top journals as Cain grabbed his duster. They ran out of the small room and down the stairs, making a mad dash across the open floor to the main staircase where Ajax was dozing on his feet. "Wake up, Fleabag!"

Ajax snorted awake with a start as they dashed up the stairs two at a time. She stuffed the books into Cain's pack as it was the closest one as Cain threw the doors open. Grabbing the horse's reins he jerked the confused animal out the door at a dead sprint.

Ajax nickered in confusion. She panted an answer to him as they ran. "Have to get to Lake Country now! Travel Storm. Jeb and Raw in trouble! Resistance fighters might be heading into a trap!" His eyes rolled in understanding. They were out of the library within a minute.

She had called up a storm the second she saw the door to the outside. When they stepped out the twister was already half formed. Cain grabbed his hat and held it in one hand and drew his six-shooter holding it in the other. He turned to her, wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her hard. "Be careful!" he shouted. She nodded her understanding.

Ajax whinnied in fear and she put a hand on his side. "I swear it won't hurt you! But be ready for a fight when it drops us!" The horse planted his feet and she felt him shiver beneath her hand but he didn't back down.

The twister was drawing closer now. It was so loud she could no longer hear anything. She grabbed Cain's lapel in one hand and Ajax' reins in the other and stepped forward. When the wind threatened to throw all of them to the ground she shouted at the top of her lungs "JUMP!"

The magic wind caught them and flung them into the vortex. The trip was over faster than she would have thought possible. This was the first time she had managed to make a travel storm without passing out by the time it was over. She figured it was the adrenaline or the fact that her friend's lives were at stake. You know, either or.

They landed outside the small lakeside village in the middle of a raging battle. Cloaked mages and resistance fighters were locked in bloody combat. The fighting had ceased momentarily when the travel storm had touched down. She saw men and women lying dead on the ground. Her vision went red with rage and her magic built to deadly proportions. That was when the Shadows recognized her. She raised her glowing hands ready for a fight.

Author Note: Hope you liked it! While your waiting for an update check out the new story Pixie Sticks. Conveniently located in the Tin Man section. Rose and I decided it would be fun to write a story together. You'll like that one too I promise. Now that the self-promotion is over leave me a review!


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Tin Man or anything related to it. But Ajax tells me he is going to go see about that. He was snorting about stomping and dragging stubborn Tin Men that should rightfully belong to me home with him. He's very clever. I think he can do it.

Cain started shooting before the Shadows could act. Ajax charged into the fray with a whinny of rage and DG let loose a blast of light so strong it made ten of the closest hooded mages explode backward in a shower of skin and gore. They were not going to be taking any prisoners today.

She heard shouted commands coming from the resistance fighters and terrible hissing and chanting from the Shadows. The freedom fighters were not only badly out numbered; they were defensively in a very bad position. They must have been ambushed when they were moving across the open marsh to the village and were now being slowly herded back toward the lake. Scanning the scene before her, she could see that they were being corralled like cattle going to slaughter.

She blasted two more mages back with a fireball before spinning to put her back against Cain's. Then she got an idea. A wonderfully awful idea. Cain was taking aim and shooting without pause. She wondered if he had missed a shot yet. "Cain, we need to get everyone to the water!"

A freedom fighter and mage flew through the air and landed at their feet clawing at one another. Cain grabbed the mage and threw him off the fighter. The man, who was about ten years Cain's senior, twisted to his feet and lunged at the downed mage, knife in hand. "What? They'll kill us for sure!"

"Trust me! No time to explain!" She could do this, but it would kill anyone who wasn't out of the way.

Cain, never taking his eyes from the fight, continued to shoot. He lowered his gun quickly to reload. "We need to find Jeb! He's the only one they trust enough to take an order like that from!" She blasted another mage that got too close to them and searched the area for his son. After what felt like an eternity, DG spotted him at the front of a small skirmish that consisted of four of his fighters and at least twelve Shadows. She felt the mages combining their power.

She sent a silent alarm through their binding and sprinted off toward the skirmish. Cain was hot on her heels, shooting a mage that lunged at her from the left. She threw a shield up around the small band seconds before the mages released their spell. It rebounded off her shield, shattering it and knocking the fighters to the ground. The fighters were covered in mud and would be bruised, the mages would never be moving again. She was afraid that if she used any more magic her plan was going to fall through.

Jeb staggered to his feet with a stupefied expression on his face. He was gazing at the mages perplexed. His head whipped around and he spotted them. "Dad? How the hell did you get here?" Ok, so apparently not everyone had seen the travel storm.

Grabbing his son in relief, he forced out, "Son, we need to get everyone to the lakefront now!" The numerous mages that were still alive were moving to fill in the hole her spell had created. Cain shot two of them and the rest kept their distance. DG helped a young red headed woman to her feet and started to pull her backward. She was bleeding badly from her forehead but wasn't about to stop fighting.

"That's suicide and you know it!" Jeb was not about to lead his force, one that he had managed to keep alive for years under the witch, into certain death.

"So is staying here!" Cain's voice had gone level and he stared his son dead in the eye. "It's the only way. The Princess can stop them, but we have to get everyone to the lake. Right now."

They stared at each other for a split second. She had no idea what passed between them, but Jeb turned and raised his voice to an amazing level. "Fall back to the shore, NOW! That's an order! Grab the wounded and don't stop until you get there!"

The effect of Jeb's command was immediate. Fights broke off as freedom fighters shot, slashed, and fought their way out of battle. They were used to guerrilla warfare and it was far more organized than it should have been. Once free they grabbed their fallen, but still breathing comrades and fled to the lake. The Shadows made no effort to stop the flight. They thought they were playing straight into their hands.

Their small group was the last to reach the shore. Cain, Jeb, and the other three fighters skidded to a halt in front of the others and turned to face the hooded figures that were slowly tightening the knot around the small band. They drew an assortment of weapons and braced themselves for what they thought was their last fight. She raced past them, dodging the other fighters and jumping over the wounded that had been placed in the back. She plunged straight into the icy lake with a splash.

Once she was thigh deep, she turned back. There were well over a hundred mages left facing them. She estimated only about thirty freedom fighters left standing. No matter, she would take care of this right now. Focusing on her magic, DG let it engulf her entire body, vaguely aware that her entire body had begun to glow brightly. She saw heads turn toward her but she ignored them and, extending her hands palms out at her sides in an effort to maintain her link with the spell, she felt the water of lake go still in the wake of her power.

Raising her arms, she shouted at the fighters in front of her. "Get down, now!" She barely recognized her voice. She had never thought she could give a command, she really never thought anyone would obey her. She saw them drop to the muddy ground. The water rose in a torrent around and behind her. The force of the water soaked her but didn't even make her hair move. It rose thirty feet straight into the air before crashing down over the fighters in a great wave and hitting the semi circle of mages with bone crushing force.

Before the water finished falling she had stepped forward, dropping her hands and focusing the rest of her magic on releasing a blast of cold so intense that it froze the wave and all the mages it had engulfed solid.

Silence fell across the lakeshore. It seemed particularly intense given the amount of noise that had recently been caused by the battle and the sound of rushing water. She swayed, staring at the giant swirled glacier she had just created. She could see cloaked, twisted bodies suspended inside of it where the frost hadn't covered the outside. She fell to her knees in the soft mud, shivering. The cold she had tapped into had taken its toll on her. She felt as if she had been submerged in icy water for hours on end. Her wet clothes clung to her body and her teeth began to chatter.

No one moved for a long moment. She felt a kind of horror creep over her at the amount of damage she had just done. She tore her gaze from the ice to the fighters. It had been worth it. They would have been slaughtered otherwise... or worse.

Cain suddenly bolted to his feet and raced toward her as the other men and women on the shore got slowly to their feet. As Cain slid to a stop in front of her, she could hear Jeb shouting orders. "Make a perimeter! I want healers and medics on the wounded and we need stretchers made now! Find the horses! We're heading out in ten minutes, no excuses!"

Cain tore the duster from his body and wrapped it around her, but her body didn't recognize its warmth. He rubbed the length of her arms with his hands, trying to get her blood to flow. She stared up at him vacantly. "It worked." Her voice was emotionless, her mind not processing the enormity of what she had just done.

"It sure did, Sweetheart. That was right clever of you." He moved his hand to cup her face. Her hair was dripping on him. She just stared into his blue eyes, shivering all the while. She felt like the cold had found its way inside of her heart.

He had that worried look in his eyes again. He wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her to her feet. She leaned against him heavily but stayed standing. She felt dizzy as well as cold and the urge to sleep was creeping up on her steadily. They walked slowly back toward the fighters, Cain all but dragging her.

Ajax met them at the shore. He was favoring his left rear leg but seemed to be in one piece. He jerked his head to the side and she saw that he had somehow managed to gather a fair number of the resistance fighter's horses. Several of the men and women were giving him odd glances but they seemed to think better of questioning their good fortune. They were placing the injured on the animals and waiting for further orders. Everyone was giving her a wide berth.

"Can you carry her?" Cain's voice was strained. He shouldn't have to worry so much. She was just… cold. His grip on her tightened and his eyes snapped to her face searching.

Ajax snorted and moved his body to help Cain get her his back. Cain threw her up into the saddle, but kept his arm around her hips. She made no effort move away, to move toward him, to fight, or to talk. She sat silently shivering and waiting. She watched the fighters move around swiftly and efficiently. As several men were helping a woman into the saddle of a brown mare, she spotted Raw.

He had a cut on his face but it wasn't bad. She should have been overjoyed that he was there and alive and safe, then worried when she wasn't. The cold had seeped in too far. She was numb. She turned away focusing on Ajax's neck. She didn't have to look at anything else that way. Didn't have to think about it for a while. She just needed a break. Just for a bit.

"Alright, let's move!" Jeb's voice cut across the group and she felt Ajax begin to move. She didn't life her head, instead putting all her will power into staying upright in the saddle.

They had traveled for over an hour when she heard Cain ask her a question. "Sweetheart, I need to talk to Jeb. Will you be ok with Ajax and Raw?" His voice was soft and low. She doubted anyone else could have heard him.

Her eyes flicked up for the first time since they had left the lake. She hadn't seen Raw come over to walk next to them. Her eyes moved back to the Tin Man and she nodded once then lowered her eyes again. She felt him squeeze her hand and move off. She felt Raw take his place next to her and was glad when the healer remained silent. She wasn't sure she could talk right now.

Cain didn't come back until they stopped for the night. The freedom fighters must have been anticipating a return trip because they already had a camp set up. Several armed men and women had materialized out of the forest when they were close to greet them. The way they took in the perceptibly smaller numbers of their group and the wounded was obvious even to her.

The group staggered into the heart of the camp and dispersed, many helping the wounded to tents at one end and many others starting to unload what equipment that had survived into another section. The rest either led the horses away to be groomed or moved off to sleep or eat. Raw helped her to dismount and she promptly sank to the ground next to him. Her legs just weren't working.

Raw crouched down next to her and brushed her hair away from her face. "DG needs rest. Can take Raw's tent. Raw must stay with hurt fighters tonight."

She didn't want to be by herself. She was used to sleeping with Cain. It had taken less than a week for that to become a habit. Her arm tingled as the loneliness set in. It was the first thing she had felt since they left the lake. She was too tired to argue with the seer though. She held a hand out so he could help her up.

Before he could, she felt two familiar arms wrap around her from behind and draw her up. She let out a small gasp but leaned back against him. "Which way, Furball?"

Raw rumbled and his lip twitched. "At south end near split tree. Green tent." His warm dark eyes regarded the Tin Man for a long moment. "About time. Cain always was to stubborn for own good." And with that the healer walked off toward the infirmary, Ajax close behind.

Cain grumbled as he helped her to the tent. It was easy enough to find, on the outskirts of the camp. Maybe it was easier for Raw to have some distance between him and all the emotions that were flying around a place like this all the time. Cain lifted the tent flap and helped her inside, sitting her on the cot. Finding an oil lamp, he lit it and turned back to close the canvass door. He tied it shut and set a bundle of clothes next to her.

Raw's tent was large enough to hold a cot, two large cushions, and a small chest. She guessed the cushions were used as easily portable seating. Smart actually. She regarded the clothes uncomprehendingly.

Cain crouched in front of her, his eyes still worried. "Come on, Darlin', you're soaked to the bone. You need to get into some dry clothes or your going to get sick."

She plucked at the sleeve of his duster and grimaced. It was soaked all the way through. How had she not noticed that before? They had been traveling for hours. She turned back to him, confused. "Sorry about your coat. Is it going to shrink?"

He was startled by this response. "Don't be sorry, Sweetheart, it's just a thing. Can't replace you if you freeze to death."

She didn't know if it had been the right thing for him to say or the wrong thing. She felt the numbness vanish. She began to quiver and she felt herself choke on a sob. Oh, she had killed so many and on purpose. She slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound and turned her face away. She heard him curse and apologize and then they were both on the floor and she was in his lap.

She was making as little sound as possible. Every now and then a soft hitching sob would escape her, but she had her head pressed firmly against Wyatt's shoulder and her hand was still over her mouth. Tears slid down her cheeks as he rocked her and whispered soothing things in her ear.

"It's alright, Sweetheart, you saved us. You did good." Cain's voice was so soothing. She found herself wondering at that moment if this was how her mother must have felt when she found out what it would take to save her daughters.

Author Note: Hope you enjoyed that one. Thanks to Rose! The two of us should have the next chapter of Pixie Sticks up sometime tonight or tomorrow morning. Leave me a review! That's an order from Jeb by the way, honest he said so. Just scroll up and check it out.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: If I were musical in any way I would write a song about not owning Tin Man. If anyone can come up if one I'll post it on my next disclaimer.

She finally stopped, too tired to keep that kind of emotional outburst going. He pulled her back just a bit, kissing her forehead softly before moving down to her temple, continuing his easy kisses as his hands began to work his duster off her shoulders. Once it was off, he tossed it to the floor next to them and began on her shirt, his lips unhurriedly moving to the side of her mouth in the process. Warmth finally began to spread through her body wherever his lips touched her.

He unbuttoned the top three buttons before grabbing the hem of the dark garment to draw it over her head smoothly. Tossing it on top of his duster, his hands caressed her skin as patiently as his kisses explored her face. She started to shiver for an entirely different reason than the cold. Swaying, exhausted, she sat in his lap, feeling disappointed. "Wyatt…"

His lips tasting hers, Cain held her against him and ran a hand up and down her back. She leaned into him, feeling more like herself the longer he held her. After a long moment, he drew back. "It's ok, Sweetheart, we both need to sleep. Let's get you into those dry clothes."

Reaching behind him, he sorted through the bundle of clothing and his hand finally emerged with a forest green shirt. She raised an eyebrow lip twitching weakly. "I thought you didn't like that color."

He paused while untangling the shirt. Darkening blue eyes darted to her face and then ran down her mostly uncovered torso, his lips quirking up at the sides. "Beggars can't be choosers, Princess. I may rather have you in nothing at all, but it's not going to get you any warmer."

She snorted softly. Twisting her arms behind her back, she unclasped her bra and – fighting the urge to blush - let it slide down her arms. Not like Cain hadn't seen her like this before. He let out a strangled sigh. "Lift your arms up, DG." His voice had lowered.

She obeyed and he swiftly tugged the top down over her head and she twisted her arms into the sleeves. As soon as it was fully over her body, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her hard. She whimpered against him, surprised. She managed to hold herself up for a few seconds before she began to slump against him again. She groaned frustrated.

It took obvious effort for Cain to pull away from her again, but he did. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he set her back on the cot. He tugged off her boots and, reaching up, unfastened her pants. She lifted her hips so he could peel the wet material away from her skin and she reached over to grab the knee length skirt that was next to her. She lowered her arms toward the ground and slipped her feet through the top of the skirt, pulling the skirt on before, worn out, she collapsed on the cot.

Cain sat on the side of the cot and she rolled over to give him some room. He removed his own boots and lay down next to her. They were spooned closely against one another; the cot was less than spacious. Cain pulled a blanket up over them and she was out within seconds.

Her nightmares returned with a vengeance that night. She couldn't identify most of what was going on but she kept getting terrifying flashes of blood and bodies. These were unlike the unsettling dreams she had before the Outer Zone had begun talking to her, ones of either failure or caves. These were a mix of her own battles and ones she was very sure she had not been present for.

She was jerked roughly back to consciousness by Cain. She was badly disoriented and flailed about momentarily but he held her in a firm grip. "Calm down, DG. You had a nightmare." She lay still panting slightly, eyes adjusting to the darkened tent. Her back was still to Cain. Neither had moved much in the night.

Judging by how her body felt, they must have been asleep for at least six hours. She was tired but thought she could function if she had to. "Do we need to get up now?"

She felt Cain's hand drift from her waist to her thigh. He was making small patterns with his fingers as they headed south. "Not for a while yet, Sweetheart," She felt the words vibrate through her body. She pressed back against him, turning her head to try to see him properly.

"That sounds promising." She felt better now that she'd slept, more alive, and Cain was here. Her tattoo was pulsing with a combination of need, lust, and love. She felt Cain growl deep in his chest, flipping her over to face him. Her lips found his quickly and she felt as if she were trying to consume him. She started to rip at his clothes anxiously.

Cain grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head. He broke away from her just long enough to whisper a hoarse command in her ear. "We have to be quiet, Sweetheart, can't wake up the whole camp."

She met his eyes in the dark and, biting her lip, nodded in understanding. He let go of her wrists and moved his hands down quickly to shove the skirt up around her waist. She buried her face in his neck, kissing and nipping, trying to distract herself from making noise of any kind as his hands made their way up between her thighs.

Abandoning her quest to get him out of his clothes, she instead reached between them and started pulling at the fasting of his pants. As soon as they were undone, she managed to shove them down enough to free him. As soon as she had, he rolled on top of her and hooking one arm under her leg, lifting it up as he entered her. His lips locked against hers, muffling both of their moans.

His breath gusted against her neck as he began to move inside her at a frantic pace. DG grabbed at his shoulders, the material of his shirt bunching in her hands as she bucked up against him.

He moved inside her pumping in and out her frantically. She grabbed at his shoulders the material of his shirt bunching in her hands. She bucked up against him. They moved together, beautifully in sync with one another as the tension within both their bodies continued to build.

Cain gripped her other leg, drawing it up to join the other around his hips and they both stifled a groan when the change in angle allowed him a deeper penetration. Bright light blossomed behind her eyelids as she dug her nails into the material over Cain's back when the pleasurable coil that had been tightening within her finally gave way. She buried her mouth in his shoulder, her teeth finding cloth-covered flesh as she attempted to muffle the gratifying scream that was torn from her. She felt Cain continue to move within her for a few strokes more before he tensed, muffling his cries within her hair as he emptied himself deep inside her.

As he continued to lie on top of her, nuzzling her neck, she found she had no idea what to say. That had been rather… intense. She was still trying to organize her thoughts when he tensed above her. A few seconds later, she realized why: someone was moving outside the tent.

"Dad, we need you out here. Now. Bring DG." Jeb's voice sounded tense.

"We'll be out in a minute." Cain's voice was calm and steady. DG found herself very impressed with how unfazed he was by how close his son had come to walking in on them, especially considering he was still, well, in her. Personally, she could feel her face heating up.

Cain moved off of her, pulling her skirt down as he got up. She scrambled off the cot and dragged her boots on, flustered, as Cain straightened his clothing and retrieved his hat, duster, boots, and holster. They left the tent quickly, finding Jeb easily enough. He - along with the vast majority of the resistance fighters - were milling uneasily about the infirmary tent.

Seconds before they got to the crowd, Raw roared in rage. DG's head snapped toward the sound and Cain quickly shoved his way through the fighters, toward the sound of the seer's voice, DG close behind him. They broke through the fighters who were pulling out an assortment of weapons when a woman came skidding out of the tent. She fell to the ground a few feet outside the entrance and rose fluidly to her feet, unnaturally so. Raw jumped out of the tent behind her, snarling with his claws out.

The woman raised her hand slightly before she found herself trapped in a semi-translucent bubble of magic. The brunette whirled around, hissing and spitting. Curses started flying from the fighters when they saw that her skin had started to take on a grayish cast and her eyes were changing to a deep blood red.

Raw's fur was standing on end as the woman threw herself against the magical barrier DG had erected around her. DG moved closer to the newly transformed Shadow, confident that she would not be getting out. When Jeb's men realized who had trapped her, silence fell across the camp.

"Relax, Raw, she isn't going anywhere. Are there anymore in there?" She felt oddly calm. Also, very curious, as if she were about to figure out a very big piece of this mystery. She began to circle the outside of the shield she had made. The woman's eyes followed her every movement, taking her in.

"No more DG." She scanned the woman with her magic and could feel some kind of spell wrapped tightly around her; it was sticking into her like a thorny vine. She wasn't sure she could get rid of it. Damn.

"Did she hurt you, or anyone else, in any way?" They needed to know how the spell was spreading.

"No DG. Touch no one. Was sleeping till sunrise, then Raw felt change." She considered this, still circling.

Cain suddenly caught on to what she was after. "Why was she in the infirmary?"

Raw's eyes moved to the Tin Man. "Burn on shoulder. Blistered badly. High fever."

Rage flashed through her. She turned to the woman, speaking directly to her for the first time. "Well, that explains all the fireballs. Not just meant to kill, are they?" How had she missed the spell implanted in them? She had royally fucked that up.

The woman hissed at her, narrowing her eyes as the shield shrank so that she could barely move. "That's enough!" DG's voice snapped like a whip. "I know you can understand me." She inspected the spell around the woman again. It was tied to more than just her. It reached off to something else, acting a lot like a binding, come to think of it. That was weird. She could think of no reason for that to be, unless….

Great. Bloody freaking great. Whoever made this spell was damn smart. And they were listening and watching everything that was going on. Taking half a step back, she re-expanded the shield, adding another layer of power to it. The mage tilted her head. "I want to talk to whoever it is that's listening to us through you."

She heard angry exclamations all around as the fighter's came to understand that one of their own had not only been warped, but had been turned into a spy, and used against them. They were not a happy bunch this morning. She saw Cain and Jeb step out of the crowd and move up on either side of her. Cain's eyes had gone glacial blue and Jeb's looked as if they could have set the woman on fire.

The woman threw back her head and let out the most god-awful laugh DG had ever heard. It sent shivers down her spine and made the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end, however, she did her best to show nothing to the creature she had trapped in front of her. After a long moment, the laughter ended and the woman opened her eyes. Something not right regarded her out of them.

"My, my, aren't you a clever Gale bitch." The voice was hauntingly melodic and wholly feminine.

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with the insult. Cain growled low in his throat and Jeb began to toy with his knives. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. You seem to know who I am. Care to tell us who you are?"

"Ahh, false flattery… or, is that sarcasm? It's been so long since anyone has dared to use either in my presence."

"You must not get much company." This woman was both pretentious and cliché.

The puppet's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tongue, Princess, I have no patience for you. Not only did you kill my sister, but you have been killing off my poor pets. Do you have any idea how long it took me to turn that quaint lake village?" She sighed dramatically. "No matter, those battered soldiers you've been herding toward me for the last few months will be more than enough to finally destroy your kingdom."

The rage that washed over DG at such callous remarks nearly destroyed her common sense. With colossal effort, she reined in her temper, processing what had been said quickly. As far as she knew, she had only killed one woman. "Your sister possessed mine and tried to throw the Outer Zone into darkness. Can't say I feel all that bad. And now, I come to find that you're turning my people into your zombies? I don't think so. I'm going to find you and kill you and then prance happily over your grave."

All pretense of good nature vanished from the Shadow. She raised her hand and dark energy began to gather around it. DG could feel it pulsing and testing her shield, but refused to back down. "Listen to me, little whore, I've killed mages far stronger than you, ones whose light was as bright as the sun. If you dare to challenge me, I _will _make sure you beg for death for seasons before I consider it. If you think I took delight in Ariana's fall, you have no idea what I have in store for you."

DG's lips twisted up in a grim grin as she stepped up to the shield until she was inches away from the Shadow's face. "You think you scare me? You rely on brainwashed and magically warped victims to do your biding. You're _nothing _more than a coward. Come find me and let's see if you're as all powerful as you seem to think you are, witch, or are you too afraid to come face me: the clever Gale bitch?"

The shadow let loose a howl of rage and released the spell that had been building in her hand. It exploded with incredible force and she saw a number of the resistance fighters duck to avoid the blast. It never made it past her shield. The mage fell dead to the ground and DG reabsorbed her shield.

She stepped away from the body and back to the Cain men who were both looking at her as if she had gone utterly mad. Raw crept toward them cautiously as the rest of the fighters were glancing at her with a mixture of respect and awe.

She turned to Jeb. "She knows where the camp is."

Cain nodded. "We should head to Finaqua. It can be defended easily enough and it's close."

Jeb shook his head in a way that reminded her of Wyatt and started issuing orders to pack up. The fighters dispersed rapidly. Cain grabbed her arm and led her into the trees, Raw following closely behind. "Are you out of your head?" He was pissed.

Raw rumbled worriedly at her. "Much rage in witch. Hatred. Will try to kill DG."

She should have been scared, but she had been listening very closely to what the witch had said. Her lips quirked up at the sides. "The witch said she had killed a powerful mage of light."

Raw appeared to become even more terrified. Cain gazed at her for a long moment, then his lips began to twitch. "You do manage to find the weak spots in everyone's armor, don't you, Sweetheart?"

"What can I say; it's a gift, that, and a strong affinity to darkness."

Author Note: Thanks to Rose who helped me get past minor writers block in this chapter. And I know I say this every time but I really do appreaciate all your reviews, so if you have time leave me one.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Ok so I got two songs. In the interest of fairness I will post the first one I got on this chapter and the second on the next. Well Done!

I don't own them, I just use them like many toys

I don't own them, I just like the pretty boys

And don't sue for what I do

And don't sue for what I say

And when, at last, the story is through

No one will have ever paid, cus

I don't own them, I just use them for the plot

I don't own them, god Cain is so hot

-Submitted by PalisDelon

The fighters started tearing down the camp quickly, as everyone was keen to getting out of the area and into the safety of Finaqua. Between the trauma of the day before, and the drama of this morning, they were unsurprisingly high strung. Her total defiance of the witch had done at least one positive thing; it had put all the fighters in a rather oddly cheery mood. Good to know they were all as crazy as she was. Not only that, they were far more inclined to welcome her into their tight knit family. She figured the obvious approval of her by both their commander and Wyatt helped with that.

With new purpose she, Cain, and Raw headed back to Raw's tent. She refused point blank to travel about in a skirt. All sorts of things could go wrong with that, the first and least disturbing involving a strong gust of wind. The two men waited outside while she changed back into her own clothes, cleaning them and the borrowed set quickly. It would be lovely if they could go just one day without getting caked in something gross or sticky. Well, she could dream anyway.

She exited the tent with the clothes folded neatly in her arms. She eyed Cain critically for a moment, transferred the clothes to one hand, and flicked him on the arm. "Hey!" He jumped when his clothes shook themselves off around him. In half a second they were clean and wrinkle free. She snickered at his expression.

He straightened his duster in annoyance. "Was that necessary?"

"What? I can't have my life mate wandering around the forest dirty. Jeb might think I wasn't taking care of you properly."

Raw gave one of his rumbling laughs and moved past them into the tent to pack his things. Cain rolled his eyes as he took the clothes from her. "I'll go return these, you go find the Fleabag."

She went up on her toes and gave him a peck on the lips. Spinning like her old doll, she was just about to go off and do just that when she encountered an evilly smirking Jeb Cain. She froze mid-twirl. Jeb winked at her. "She's right, you know. How could you even think about walking around a place full of mud and bugs in wrinkled clothes?"

She felt Cain twitch behind her and fought back a giggle. She couldn't see him, but she _knew_ he was glaring at his son. She felt air rush by her ear and saw his hand shoot out over her shoulder to point a finger at Jeb. "Don't encourage her. Believe me, she doesn't need any help."

"Poor old Tin Man, under the thumb of a hundred pound princess. Sad really, makes me question how tough my Dad really is." Jeb's eyes were glittering like mad. Cain growled and lunged around her after him. Her laughter followed them as they dashed out of sight. Shaking her head, she went Ajax hunting, happy that Jeb had accepted her into the family.

Ajax was grazing with a number of other horses at the edge of the camp. She whistled and his head came up. He extracted himself from the herd, plodding over to her. She watched him as he walked, but saw no sign of his former limp. "Did Raw heal your leg?"

He nickered, bumping his face against her hand. She scratched his ears and he pressed his head against her chest. She felt him give a huge sigh against her. "Aww, Ajax. I'm sorry, you must be tired." He whuffled, raising his head to look at her. "Once we get to Finaqua we should all be able to rest for more than a few hours. At least, I hope so." It wasn't natural to see the usually mischievous animal so tired.

He nodded, nudging her back toward the camp, stopping near a pile of gear on the way to gather their things. She saddled him up and they moved back into the camp as fighters started moving toward the other horses to repeat this process. By the time they got back to Raw's tent, it had been folded into a small bundle and was sitting next to a folded cot.

Raw was standing next to his things with Cain, who appeared to be nursing a new bruise forming around his neck. Raw was obviously stifling his laughter and the Tin Man was scowling toward the rapidly disappearing camp. "Jeb get the best of you?"

Cain started to mutter something about unfair advantages and not hurting one's children. Ajax nickered behind her as she put on a falsely sympathetic expression, reaching over and letting her binding gift heal the bruise. "Poor thing, you really are getting old."

He pushed his hat back with his thumb and shot an icy glare at her. "I am not old! I'm only forty! I've got at least another hundred years in me." The last part came out as the closest thing to whining she had ever heard from him.

Her face must have shown her absolute shock. "A hundred years?!" she spluttered.

Feeling her bafflement through the binding, he tilted his head, regarding her curiously. "Why does that surprise you?"

"Is that normal here?" Her head was trying to wrap around this new concept. No wonder he had called her Kid for so long. This was way crazy. Why did no one tell her anything?

Raw laughed and Cain raised an eyebrow. She moved her gaze between them quickly. "So… assuming psycho witch doesn't kill me, I'm going to live how long?"

"How long DG think she live?" Raw asked. He was now as curious as Cain.

She scratched the back of her head. "Geez, about eighty five years I guess."

Raw let out an odd mewl of surprise and Cain snorted. "Guess your stuck with me longer than you thought, Darlin', about a hundred and fifteen years longer. Although, now I can see why the Kid thing bothered you so much."

She rolled her eyes, grumbling. "That's it. When this is over I'm writing a book for future slippers. I'm going to title it _All the Things They Never Thought to Mention: A Guide to Life in the O.Z._."

"On that note, I think its time to head out." Cain grabbed the folded tent and strapped it onto Ajax's back. The horse snorted in annoyance at the extra weight. "Quit complaining, horse. You don't have to walk far today." In response to this, Ajax leaned his weight toward Cain, making him stumbled backward. Cain cursed and threw the cot onto his back less gently. Ajax laid his ears back, sulking.

They moved out shortly after that, the fighters moving through the woods at a brisk and silent pace. She could see that Jeb had at least five of his men scouting around the group at large, and after the first hour or so of travel, the fighters relaxed a bit and several wandered over to talk. She knew what their purpose was twofold. They wanted to catch up with Cain and get a better feeling for her. She didn't blame them; she'd worry about her presence too.

The first one to test his luck was the older man Cain had pried away from a mage the day before. His skin was a deep olive color and his dark eyes were analyzing her over Ajax's back. She met his gaze unblinking for a long moment before Cain was even aware of what was happening. She raised her eyebrow at him, her lip twitching in acknowledgement of his intense scrutiny. Like he was scary after the witch. "Are you done?"

He let out a booming laugh that echoed over the fighters. Heads snapped up from all over to see what was happening. Jeb paused momentarily at his position at the front before turning and continuing on. Cain glanced over at them, shaking his head. "I see the stories about you are hardly exaggerated, Princess." She could hear the amusement and respect in his voice. She was also very aware that this was in no way a private conversation.

"It's just DG." Leaning over Ajax as they walked, she held out her hand. "Mister…?"

He grabbed her hand, shaking it firmly. "Ian. And no Mister, thank you all the same."

She grinned back at the tall man, straightening. "I'm afraid to ask what you've heard of me, Ian, especially if it came from him." She jerked her head at Cain.

Ian tilted his head to regard her in good humor. "Who, Mr. Tin? Never heard him say a bad thing against you. Hell, never heard him say much about anybody else but you, the seer and his son." She heard Cain snort as he turned his head to look at the man.

"That's a lie. I called you a sneaky ex-con more than once." Cain deadpanned.

Ian grinned. "Actually, I was referring to the mythical right hook of yours."

She hummed a non-comment at this, having flashed back to the nasty bruise she'd given Jeb in the Papay Fields. "Sorry, no idea what your referring too."

Ian's eyes glittered with mirth. "So it's true. Our mighty leader, who's been in more brawls then most of us put together, was nearly knocked out by the Princess. What did your son do to deserve that Tin Man?"

"He made the mistake of checking to be sure she was still breathing."

Ian's laugh echoed out over the group again. He wasn't the only one laughing either. She heard a number of people trying to suppress their laughter over the story they weren't listening to.

"Well, you should have known better than to let him." It was a perfectly logical answer to her. They should have seen that coming.

Ian's laughter finally died down to few low chuckles. "By Dorothy's Slipper, Tin Man, you do know how to pick 'em." The fighter's eyes flicked to the ring around her finger then to the one around Cain's.

She nearly tripped over her own feet, having forgotten she was still wearing it. She kept her face impassive, but knew Cain had felt her confusion over the matter. She had told him he could remove the ring, after all, no one else knew about the binding but Raw and Jeb. She risked a glance at him, but he was staring Ian down. Something shifted, not only between the two men, but in the entire group.

Everyone around them was poised for action and she had no idea why. Suddenly, Ian jerked his head and she felt the sudden tension disappear. Cain moved one hand to the small of her back. She could feel the tension in him drain slowly away as they walked. Glancing back over at Ian, she found the man smiling again.

"Welcome to the family, DG." With that he sauntered off toward the front of the group and more fighters moved to take his place. For the next hour or so she talked with the fighters, conversation flowing easily between them. It was pleasant and she nearly forgot about their odd behavior, except Cain's hand never left her back. Not that she minded, but he wasn't really the "open displays of affection" type of guy. She'd ask him about it later.

They reached the hedge maze that guarded Finaqua at midday. Breaking out from under the trees was a relief. She was really looking forward to a bath, a long, steamy one full of bubbles. The group of about forty freedom fighters made it to the edge of the maze when a shout of warning went up from Jeb. She threw a shield up over the entire group without thinking about it. All around her weapons were out and the fighters had made a circle, backs to the inside, waiting.

"Relax!" Jeb's shout was welcome, to say the least. "It's the Royal Guard."

What was the Royal Guard doing here? She went stiff, the implications hitting her hard. Shit. What the hell were they doing _here_? It wasn't safe! She moved toward the front of the group, Cain close behind. Jeb and Captain Ross - she remembered his name from all their stupid meetings about her safety, which, by the way, had worked out so well - were in a heated discussion. The rest of the Royal Guard was watching intently.

"We need a place to stay for a few days! It's not safe out in the woods!" Jeb's voice cracked with authority.

"I'm sorry Captain Cain, but I have strict orders. No one but the royal family and their guards are allowed in Finaqua until further notice."

She grinned wickedly and heard Wyatt chuckle softly behind her. Walking past the fighters and up to the bickering men, she stopped next to Jeb who glanced over at her then looked back at the guard smugly. "If those are your orders then I strongly suggest you let us in _now_ before you have to explain to the Queen why you wouldn't let her youngest daughter and her protection detail in."

Ross glared back at the young man. "The youngest Princess is already inside, Captain, so I suggest you leave before you get court-marshaled."

"I'm already in there, huh? Damn, my magic is better than I thought." She turned to Jeb, hands on hips, considering the castle in the distance. "Did you know I could be in two places at once?"

Ross's jaw dropped. He'd finally gotten a good look at her. "Prin…Prin…Princess DG! How did you? Where did you?"

She regarded him coolly. "Does it matter? Let us in. You're pissing me off."

He nearly leapt out of her way. They really needed to start screening the guards better, what a pansy. Maybe she should recommend some of the retired freedom fighters. At least they had backbone. She supposed that was a discussion for later, but right now, she needed to focus on getting them all out of the maze. It didn't take long, despite the fact that she hadn't been back here since before the eclipse. She thought the route was burned into her memory.

At the end, she waited until everyone was out before they moved toward the palace. She saw that one of the guards had gone through with them and rushed ahead to announce them. She still couldn't believe they were here. What had they been thinking? She felt now familiar panic begin to twist in her stomach as they moved closer. Cain was suddenly next to her and so was Raw.

As they walked, she scanned the area with her magic. She felt Az immediately, her sister's magic zinging at the contact. She felt no danger and lowered the spell, gazing up at the increasingly close building in time to see a figure with long dark hair dart onto one of the balconies. She had just made herself incredibly exposed! Anger and fear shot through her and she sent a magic shove right at Az. She saw her sister jerk back in surprise then retreat inside. She could apologize later.

When they reached the doors, several guards were waiting. One that she vaguely recognized approached her with a bow. "Your parents wish to see you, Your Highness. Your friends will be taken care of and given rooms and food, so you don't need to worry."

She cocked her head at Jeb, who nodded gratefully and turned back to his troops. "Fine, but these two." She grabbed Cain with one hand and Raw with the other. "Are not leaving my sight." Raw rumbled affectionately and Cain's lip twitched.

The guard bowed again. She remembered why she hated palace life. "Of course, Princess. Follow me."

Author Note: Bum bum bum… Time to face mom and dad! Gasp! Leave me a review people you know I love it!


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Ok here's the second song I got. Good job to my reviewers!

We don't own you

You're just one of your many toys

We don't own you

Don't say you can't go with our ploys

We'll tell you what to do

We'll tell you what to say

An' please, when I do post you

Don't cry and pout all day

We don't own you

Won't try to change you in anyway

We don't own you

Don't sue me now 'cause I'll never pay

-Submitted by JamieBelanger

The overly annoying guard led them to the side of the entranceway and up a flight of marble stairs. She was torn between the excitement of seeing Az and Glitch and resignation at the fight she was sure to follow when her parents got a hold of her. She needed a vacation, preferably, on a nice warm sandy beach somewhere, with a scantily clad Wyatt and those fruity drinks with the colorful umbrellas sticking out of them.

Walking down a hallway on the second floor, they rounded a corner and she spotted Glitch pacing back and forth, agitated, beneath one of the many windows that wove their way around the lake palace. He was dressed, as he always was anymore, impeccably. His dark brown suit had obviously been tailored specifically for him and she had to admit it suited him very well. She was over-the-moon thrilled to see him.

"Glitch!" she dashed past the guard as the tall man spun around. He caught her as she jumped into his arms, hugging him enthusiastically. His arms tightened around her and she felt him release a long breath before he loosened his arms and moved back to see her.

Raw and Cain had made it to them and Glitch cocked his head to the side in astonishment but gave them a huge smile. She backed toward the wall as the men greeted each other. Raw clasped Glitch's upper arm and Cain gave him a firm whack on the shoulder. "My, this is a reunion. Doll, how do you manage to keep finding these misfits?"

She giggled and shrugged. Cain rolled his eyes. "You know she wouldn't have any fun getting into trouble unless she could drag the rest of use into it with her."

She stuck her tongue out at him. Glitch, who usually would have injected something happy into the conversation, became serious. "I'm not sure I would describe the last few days as fun."

Raw turned to the man with worried, dark eyes. "Glitch anxious, worried for Az; for realm. What happen?"

Glitch sighed and glanced up and down the hallway, quickly dismissing the guard. "We can't talk here. Come on, your parents are waiting in the study, Doll. I'm afraid this isn't going to be pretty. Az and I have been dodging their questions for over a week and I'm afraid we're losing ground, especially after the last attack."

"What attack?" Her voice was sharp. Cain put his hand on her back, Glitch's worried eyes processing what he was seeing with amazing speed. He looked at the Tin Man, who raised his eyebrow. DG simply raised her hand, showing him her ring. Glitch went still for half a moment before he relaxed.

He gave them a genuine smile, his toffee eyes sparkling. "Good, I was worried who she would be bound to. The Outer Zone may have more sense than I thought." He turned, motioning them to follow.

It only took them less than a minute to reach the right room. Glitch motioned for the guards at the doors to let them in and they breezed past them. The study was an airy room with bookshelves and paintings lining what walls were not composed entirely of windows. She could see the balcony that Az had run out on across the large room, past the strategically placed furniture. Couches, chairs, tables, and desks were placed in such a casual manner that it had to be planned. The rugs that lay on the floor were bright and cheerful reflecting the carefree mood the palace projected so well.

Spotting her parents, she could tell that the palace was not doing its job at the moment. They were anything but relaxed. Ahamo was pacing in front of the window, doing his best to wear a hole in the happy-go-lucky rugs. Her mother was sitting, back ramrod straight, in one of the low backed chairs, watching him. Both were ignoring Az, who was standing next to one of the bookshelves, arms crossed with the most rebellious set to her chin she'd ever seen. She let out a breath; they were at least all still alive.

When Raw shut the door with a soft click behind them three sets of eyes flashed to the group. Ahamo froze, her mother stood up abruptly, and Az threw herself straight into her arms. She staggered back at the force, but wrapping her arms around her taller sibling, she patted her back gently. She watched her parents cautiously over Az's shoulder. Glitch detangled Az from her, pulling the older girl back toward him.

To her amazement it was her father that exploded first. "Where have you been?" His furious shout echoed around the room. She felt Az cast a silencing spell but said nothing. She was pretty sure that if she started in on this, it would end unpleasantly.

"Well? If you think you can just waltz back in here without an explanation, you're out of your mind! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? You have no idea the kinds of dangers that can be found around the O.Z.!" His voice had lost none of its force.

The events of the last week flashed through her mind, all the things that had happened to her in such a short time. He had no idea what was out there and after her right now, and Ahamo was lecturing her? She started to laugh. She clapped her hand over her mouth; it was so not the appropriate response. She couldn't stop it, however. Ahamo's face went red and her mother moved to him.

"That's enough, DG." Her mother's voice was cool, her anger just below the surface. "This is hardly a laughing matter. You have behaved like a child. Did you think running away was going to mean you wouldn't have to rule? You're lucky your friends found you and protected you while they brought you back to us."

She laughed harder. It wasn't helping her situation. She could feel the guys and Az shifting uncomfortably behind her. Her parents were glaring, Ahamo was about to start yelling again. She held up her hand gasping for air.

"Danger?" She was gasping the words around the laughter. She figured she had just snapped; it was bound to happen eventually. "You have no idea… gasp… You should have been with me yesterday… gasp…Hell, even this morning."

She started wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. Her parents now looked distressed by her behavior. She moved to the nearest couch and plopped down. She forced air into her lungs trying to get her giggling under control. She turned her head away from her parents to see her posse. They were staring at her with equal alarm, except for Cain; his lip was twitching.

Once she calmed down enough to talk, she raised an eyebrow at Raw. "Oh, come on." She jerked her thumb at the royal couple. "That was funny." Then she pointed at Az. "And you! Don't go out on open balconies by yourself! Maybe I should just paint a big target on your chest so the Shadows can hit you properly!"

Az's jaw dropped. "I hardly need you to keep me safe, Deeg!"

"Tough luck. It's like, my job now. Besides I'm stuck with the Tin Man and he's way more harsh about safety protocol than me." Cain tipped his hat back, proud of himself. She rolled her eyes.

Her mother had heard enough. She glided between her daughters. DG found the gliding scary; people shouldn't be able to do that. Violet eyes flashing, her voice cracked like a whip. "You are going to tell me what's going on this instant! I am out of patience with all of you!"

She regarded her mother, impressed. She bet, given the chance, her mother was a ranter as well. "Alright, sit down, then."

This threw the Queen; she was not expecting compliance. She supposed a week of the run around by Glitch and Az, combined with the loss of her youngest daughter _again,_ could do that to a person. She recovered and sat directly in front of her, watching. The rest of the group moved to join them. Ahamo settled next to Lavender, while Glitch and Az took up the rest of the couch. Raw seated himself on a nearby chair and Cain stood like a silent statue behind her. It made her feel better.

"The night before Toto was killed, the O.Z. marked me as a healer." Her mother's face drained of all color. Ahamo leaned back on the loveseat, his hand going to cover his face. She sighed, but continued. "I left that night to heal the Papay Fields and…" This was going to be the big gamble with them, the thing that really mattered. "meet my bond mate."

Her mother's fear was replaced with bewilderment. Her father's hand dropped along with his jaw. Her gaze didn't waver from them. "You've been bound?" her mother's voice was faint.

Ahamo's was not. "To who?"

"To me." Both of their heads snapped up to stare at the Tin Man. She reached up behind her and he laced his fingers with hers. Pride raced through her at his tone.

Ahamo's eyes flashed, but as he opened his mouth, her mother inadvertently cut him off. "What else happened?" Her eyes were distant and she suddenly seemed very tired, as if she had been the one racing around the Outer Zone.

"To make a long story short, we were chased around by some more of the Shadows after I healed the fields, then again after I remade the library near Ricose." She squeezed Wyatt's hand.

Her mother's gaze refocused. "Why did you go to the library?"

She shifted slightly, letting her hand fall back to her lap. "We needed information. Once I fixed the place up, we found out where all the mages were coming from."

Glitch interjected, "You did? Then we can stop them?"

They all noticed her sadness and the way Cain shifted uncomfortably behind her. Raw sighed and shook his head. "Can't heal. Spell too strong."

"What spell? We need to kill them not cure them!" Az had decided to put in her two cents.

DG turned to her sister, helplessly trying to break the news gently and failing. "They're our people Az. They're being twisted into those _things_ and then controlled by something else. I had to kill most of the people that used to live in one of the villages not far from here." Her voice was flat. The witch was going to pay for that.

"You did what?" Her mother's voice was close to panic as her father gazed at her, horrified.

Turning her head, she gazed out the window. Cain placed a hand on her shoulder, his thumb caressing her neck. "She didn't have a choice. They would have butchered us and Jeb's men if she hadn't."

She gathered her courage and turned back to them. Glitch was holding Az's hand and both seemed ready to grab hold of her and never let go. Her parents were waiting. "This morning one of the resistance fighter's turned. Raw tossed her out in the open and I trapped her. She was turned by a spell implanted in a fireball. It seeps into a person and takes hold. Once it does, it connects them to her."

"Who's her, Doll?" Glitch's voice was encouraging.

"Apparently, the witch that possessed Az had a sister. She's not too keen on having our family in charge around here." She heard Az suck in a sharp breath. Glitch sat, stunned.

"She can not be allowed to take over." Ahamo stood and started pacing again. "How do we stop her, DG?"

"You can't. All you can do is try to kill those she's turned, and tell the troops to watch out for the fireballs."

Her mother's eyes flashed. "We will not let her overrun us! We will find a way to kill her!"

She sighed. "I told you, you can't stop her. But I can."

"DG, this is ludicrous! You just aren't strong enough to stop a witch who can cast spells with that kind of power." Her mother's tone was condescending.

She bristled. "I seemed to do well enough against her sister and that was when I couldn't use my magic!" Her voice cut across the room. "You have no idea what I'm capable of and you showed no interest before I left. I will kill her mother, have no doubt of that."

She stood abruptly in the wake of her parent's shock, walking to the door. "And as of now, no one in this family goes anywhere alone. Az, you should be safe for now, but Glitch stays with you. I'm pretty sure I pissed the witch off enough to have her after me for a while, but I'm not taking any chances."

Ahamo got to his feet frowning at her. "DG, it is hardly your place-"

"It became my place the minute this tattoo got burned on my arm. Now, I'm going to get clean and then sleep. We can talk again when we've all calmed down."

She wrenched the door open, seeing Cain tip his hat to her parents before walking out after her. She had one of the guards lead them to her room, then dismissed him. She was angry with herself more than anyone, feeling she should have handled that last part a tad better.

They walked into the room, Cain locking the door behind them. It was a very large suite, much like the one she had in Central City. Its size made her nervous as there were too many places for people to jump out at her from. It was decked out in soft blues and greens. She pulled her jacket off and thumped down on the bed.

"That went better than I expected, Sweetheart." He was shrugging out of his duster, half facing her.

She snorted in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Ahamo didn't even try to crush me to death." He walked over to the bed and stretched out full length on his stomach with a sigh.

She giggled. "Pity that, it would have made a good story to tell Jeb."

He grunted closing his eyes. "You'd like that wouldn't you? Hardly think it's fair to have both of you against me at once."

She grinned, letting him feel her amusement with him through their link. She crept up on the bed and quickly straddled his back. One of his baby blues opened to regard her. She reached up to his neck and began to knead the muscles that had tensed up during their conference with her parents. He let out a long sigh of contentment, relaxing under her.

She slowly worked the knots out of his neck, occasionally moving her thumbs firmly up to the base of his skull. After a time, she playfully sent a tiny strand of magic out to unbutton his vest and shirt. He jerked upward. "Do you have any idea how weird that feels?"

She just laughed softy and pulled the fabric off his arms and away from his body. He settled back down on the bed as she dropped his clothes on the floor. She started moving slowly and methodically down his back making sure to loosen every tight spot she could find. Once she was done destroying the little buggers, she changed her hand movements so they would turn Wyatt to a gooey mess.

As she worked, she wondered where some of his scars had come from. He certainly had a fair number of them. A few of the more recent ones she was sure he could blame on her. Nail marks covered his lower back. She let her binding gift wipe them away, promising herself she could put some more there later. His breathing was deep and even when she finally stopped. He'd had as much sleep as her, and that wasn't saying much. Maybe the bath could wait.

She got carefully off of him and removed her boots, slipping out of her pants after a moment's thought. She crawled back onto the bed and lay down next to him careful not to touch him for fear he would wake up. Before she could relax fully, she felt his arm snake around her waist and pull her against him. He sighed against her hair as her eyes fluttered shut.

Author Note: Whew that was fun! Ajax wants some more reviews or he will no longer perform for you. Don't make him go on writing strike too!


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I own nothing but still love writing this.

The knocking on the door made DG want to hurt someone. Groaning, she turned over in Wyatt's arms, burying her face in his chest and clapping a hand over her ear. Judging by the light in the room, they hadn't even been asleep for an hour. She hated people.

Cain growled above her head, "I'm going to shoot them, I don't care who it is."

'_Good plan,_' she thought she could improve it. "Just make it quick so we can go back to sleep."

He sighed and got up, a litany of curses following him. Reaching down he snatched his shirt and her pants off the ground as if they had been the ones to wake them. He handed her the bottoms and she shoved her weary legs into them. He had shrugged, blurry eyed, into his shirt and seemed to be considering the number of buttons it had. They heard the offender knock again.

"Just a damn minute!" he barked. She thought it would be smarter for the knocker to run now. They might not live to see tomorrow. Having now figured out the proper alignment of buttons he stalked to the door, fully ready to give them a chewing out they were unlikely to forget. Wrenching the door open, his jaw snapped shut with an audible click when he came face to face with her mother.

Jeb was standing sheepishly behind her, his hand running through his hair nervously. It was a bad sign when one of the Cain men did that. "I'm sorry to bother you, Mister Cain, but Ahamo is having a meeting in the study. He needs your input on the matter. Since DG has insisted that none of us remain alone, I thought I would wait with her until you were through."

Oh, well played. She had effectively been cut off from all support and trapped with her mother under her own orders. It was not ok that her mother had so much more experience as a politician. Cain had returned to the bed to grab his vest giving her a 'you're on your own' look before grabbing the rest of his things off a chair and exiting the room with a nod to her mother.

Still sitting on the bed, DG crossed her legs and waited for her mother to say whatever it was she was here to say. Her mother, in a very out of character move, took hold of the nearest chair and dragged it in front of the bed. She sat down gracefully and just watched her. She began to fidget.

"Is something wrong, Mother?"

"My Angel, are you alright?" Her mother sounded worried, hell she looked worried.

That was a loaded question if she'd ever heard one. She eyed her mother as if she were crazy. "I'm fine, just tired."

Her mother lifted her arms in utter exasperation. "For Ozma's sake, DG! Why won't you talk to me?"

"What do you want me to say?" For the life of her she was stumped. In the three months she'd been back, she could count on one hand the number of actual conversations she and her mother had had. Two of them had involved Az, one Glitch's surgery, and the last had been that lovely little spat they had the day before she left. Most of the time she felt as if they were an alien species trying to communicate. At least she and Ahamo had the Otherside in common.

Lavender stood and started pacing, obviously upset. "Ambrose was right. The one time I don't listen…"

To be fair, Glitch was usually right about most things now a day, but she needed some clarification. "Uh, he was right about what now?"

Her mother turned back to her. "You really weren't happy were you? I thought you were just adjusting, but you never wanted to be Queen."

Her mouth dropped open. "Of course I didn't want to be Queen! You had me trapped in a gilded prison! You never talked to me! I was all alone in this place that I only half remembered and my friends were gone! I only saw Glitch when you let him out of those damned meetings you never let me attend. How could you possibly think I was happy?"

Her mother's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm sorry, DG, I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. Azkadilla will rule. I'm sorry you've been forced into such a situation."

She figured she might as well be honest with the poor woman. "I wasn't forced into anything but the binding. I agreed to go along with the O.Z.'s plan. I couldn't stay in the palace anymore, it was killing me."

Her mother met her eyes, accepting this. "And the binding? We may not have spent much time together, but even I know it will be painful for you if you can't accept the Tin Man."

She felt herself soften toward her mother. It was the first time she'd shown genuine concern for her since their reunion. "I love Wyatt, I think I did before we were bound."

Her mother relaxed and sat back down. "At least something good came out of this." She smiled slightly. "I'll make sure your father doesn't try to kill him if that's how you feel about it. He wasn't at all pleased to find out you'd been forced into accepting a life mate. It took me almost an hour to calm him down."

Her lips twitched like mad. "Thanks for that. I'd hate to have the man killed so soon after I managed to snare him."

"I'm not at all sure I want to know what that involved, my Sweet."

She snickered and shrugged her shoulders before becoming serious again. "Earlier Glitch said you came here after an attack. What happened?"

Her mother's eyes became serious again. "We were eating dinner when a number of the mages attacked us. It was lucky that Glitch and Azkadilla kept their heads. We decided to leave shortly after that, it just wasn't safe in Central City. It seems we should have gone to the Northern Isle instead."

"You couldn't have known. Besides, it's too late to leave now. I'm pretty sure the witch could stop a travel storm if she wanted to. It may work to our advantage at any rate."

"How is getting closer to her an advantage?"

"I need her out in the open to kill her. Hate to say it, but the better the bait the more likely it will be for her to show herself."

Her mother shuddered at her cold tone. "Then, it seems we should let it out that we're here. I'll get the guards to let it leak. In a few days the entire realm will know where the royal family is. We need to end this before she can hurt anymore of our people."

Had she just approved of her plan? DG felt she may have been more tired than she'd thought, because now she was hallucinating.

"Don't look so surprised I can see the logic behind it. It doesn't mean I have to like it. She won't be easy to stop DG no matter how much control you have over your magic."

"I know." When was anything ever easy?

Her mother was about to continue when they heard a knock at the door. "Come in!"

Cain and Jeb had returned and entered the room cautiously. The Queen rose to her feet and moved to stand in front of the Tin Man. His back went stiff at her sudden interest in him, but he met her eyes levelly. "My daughter tells me she loves you, Wyatt Cain." His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "I believe she made a wise choice."

The Queen turned to Jeb. "If the two of you are done would you do me the honor of escorting me back to my husband Captain Cain?" The young man bowed at his waist motioning for her to precede him. As the Queen exited he smiled at her and then left shutting the door softly behind him.

Cain locked the door before he walked over to the bed and crouched down in front of her, tilting his head. She snatched off his hat and put it on. "You know, I bet this looks better on me."

"You told your mother you're in love with me?" His head was still tilted at that cute angle of his.

"Only cause its true." A case of nerves suddenly hit her. "Sorry, did you not want me to?"

His eyes had gone soft and his hand came up to caress her cheek. "You can tell whoever you want, Sweetheart."

She felt herself blush at the contentment she could hear in his voice. She wished she'd known it was that easy to make the man happy, she would have told more people. He grinned at her. She pushed his hand away gently and finally got off the bed. She was tired but really, really, really wanted to get clean.

She walked into the bathroom and came face to face with an in ground tub. Now that was something she could get used to. It was huge; at least three times the size of a regular tub. She heard Wyatt walk in the room behind her and whistle softly.

"Wow, nice digs." She bent down and turned the spigots waiting for the water to get warm.

Cain chuckled and she heard cloth hit the cool tile floor behind her. She smiled without turning around. "I thought you were tired?"

"No point in letting the water go to waste, Darlin."

She tilted her head back, grinning up at him; his duster was on the floor. "All about conservation then? No ulterior motives?"

"Would I lie to you?"

In response, she got to her feet and staying just out of his reach, began to slowly unbutton her shirt. His eyes darkened and he motioned for her to come to him. She shook her head continuing to unbutton her shirt. He sighed then crossed his arms, leaning against the door and waited.

Once her shirt was completely undone and a thin line of her skin could be seen, she lowered her hands to her pants and undid them. She slid them slowly off her legs never breaking eye contact with him. She could tell her teasing was having its intended effect on him. His breathing had shallowed and his hand was twitching slightly.

She stepped away from the material that had pooled at her feet and turned around to face the tub. She hooked her thumbs under the sides of her panties and shimmied out of them. Tossing them to the side she shrugged out of the shirt letting it slid slowly to edge of the tub as she stepped into the hot water. She glanced over her shoulder at Wyatt as she unclasped her bra and tossed it to the other side of the bathroom. She decided to keep the hat on.

"Still sure it's all about water conservation, Tin Man?"

He growled, ripping his shirt and vest off. She grinned moving deeper into the water as he toed off his boots. The gleam in his eye told her she was going to pay for her impromptu strip tease. The minute he got his pants off, he was in the water and after her. She squealed, dodging out of his reach.

His second attempt was more successful and with a splash he hauled her against his body and they both slid to the edge of the tub. She landed on his lap, squirming in his arms trying to get him to let her turn around so she could face him. He held her firmly around the waist, kissing her neck. She gave up and laid her head back against his shoulder still smiling.

"Tease." He breathed into her ear.

"Liar." She whispered back.

His arm remained around her waist while his other hand started to stroke the side of her breast. She arched, pressing her bottom into him more firmly. He continued to explore her body with his free hand as he started to murmur softly in her ear. His words made her start to tremble with pleasure.

"You are the loveliest thing I have ever set eyes on, Sweetheart." The hand around her waist loosened slightly and began to travel lower, caressing her hip. Her eyes closed as she drew in a shaky breath.

"And so brave." The hand on her hip moved inward massaging her as he parted her legs.

His soft words continued as his other hand came down to lift her up. He slid slowly into her, kissing her on the soft skin behind her ear as she moaned. "Do you have any idea what you do to me? How much I wanted you when you weren't with me?"

She whimpered his name as he started to buck up under her, his hands still holding her hips. The warm water was lapping against her hot skin making her feel far too overheated. She reached behind her wrapping an arm around his neck and grabbing one of his hands with the other.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say you loved me." The hand she wasn't holding onto for dear life began to tease her clit. She jerked up with a strangled mewl. He sucked in a ragged breath at her sudden movement, his pace picking up ever so slightly.

"And now I can touch you whenever I want. Make you scream my name the way I always wanted to." His fingers suddenly flicked between her legs hard, sending a shock wave through her body. She gasped rocking back hard against him.

He moved his lips even closer to her ear his voice low and rugged. "Are you going to scream for me now, DG? No one can hear us this time, Love." That was possibly the most erotic thing she had ever heard. Then he bit her earlobe at the same time he thrust hard into her. She arched, screaming his name as her body responded to his. His hand tightened on her hip pulling her flat against him. She felt him stiffen and shudder below her as he moaned her name into her ear.

She lay limp against him, panting as his hand continued to stroke slowly between her legs. He kissed her once more below the ear and rasped out, "I never loved anyone the way I love you, Sweetheart."

Her arm stroked his neck and she raised herself and turned around to straddle his lap. She kissed him fiercely and rested her moist forehead against his. "I don't think I knew what love was before I met you, Wyatt. And anytime you want to make me scream, feel free."

His eyes sparkled with amusement and adoration. Grabbing his hat off her head he set it to the side then reached over to the side of the tub, managing to grab a washcloth and soap. "I thought you wanted to take a bath. Let's see if we can get you clean, Sweetheart."

Author Note: Sorry this one took so long to get out I had a presentaion for school I had to finish! Anyway I should have the next chapter out tomorrow night at the latest. Laeve me review if ya love me!


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I still don't own anything. It's become a bit depressing but I've decided to move on with my life after I have given you this overdramatic moment. I hope you enjoyed it as much as me.

No one bothered them again until the next morning. When Az and Glitch showed up at their room she and Wyatt were clean and rested. The fact that Az came bearing new cloths was an added bonus to her morning. As much as she loved her jeans they were getting a bit rank.

As she went into the bathroom to change she saw Glitch plop down on one of the chairs that were scattered about the room and Az move to gaze out the window. Closing the bathroom door she checked out her booty. New black pants and a dark grey long sleeved shirt. Best of all clean underwear, bless her sister. She changed into the cloths happily and reemerged feeling much better about life all around.

"So what's on the agenda for the day?" She plopped down on the side of the bed in order to put on her socks and boots without keeling over.

Az turned from the window. "We're going to have a family breakfast in the study." Az waved her hand airily. "You know us, our parents, your bond mate, the top advisor, a seer, and a couple of freedom fighters. Just your normal morning crew."

She grinned; she knew she'd missed Az for a reason. "Sarcasm duly noted there, Sis. Let's go."

Glitch rose lithely to his feet and offered his arm to her sister who smiled and accepted it. Cain snorted at the man as he sauntered by but made no comment. As she passed by Wyatt he leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Rhythm." She punched his arm.

They were not the first one's to arrive in the study; in fact they appeared to be dead last. Her parents, Jeb, Raw, and four other freedom fighter's including Ian were sitting around one of the larger tables eating and discussing something over a map. When the foursome approached they were greeted courteously. Wyatt pulled out the chair next to Jeb for her knocking her off balance for a split second before she slid into it. If anyone noticed they made no indication of it.

Cain took a seat next to her and Az and Glitch settled across the table next to her parents. Ahamo's gaze lingered on Cain for a moment before he retrained his eyes on the map. She felt the Tin Man shift ever so slightly in his seat and she reached her hand over to grab his. He squeezed it twinning their fingers below the table. With her free hand she reached out and grabbed a muffin listening to the conversation flowing around her.

Glitch was pointing to the village they had left the day before. "You said she turned the village? Her hiding place must be close by."

"We think it's in the gorge to the east." Cain answered. She nodded her head chewing her muffin and trying not to think about ice.

Lavender nodded her head. "That's what you found at Ricose, then?"

She swallowed as fast as she could without chocking herself. "Yeah, among other things."

"What other things?" Ahamo's voice was calm again. She'd missed that.

"Well, we found out Ariana was killed by some kind of decomposition spell I've never heard of." She glanced at Az then at Cain who nodded for her to continue. "We also found out who the Shadow's are after."

Glitch tilted his head perplexed. "I thought they were after the chosen one Doll? That's you."

"Nope that'd be Az actually. You know, daughter of light destined to rule and all that jazz."

Silence fell around the table. Every eye on the room went from her to her sister then back again. Poor Az looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Deeg are you crazy? I'm not the daughter of light!"

Here we go again. She should send out a newsletter or something because this was getting old fast. It was her turn to shift uncomfortably. "Az you're not the one that heard her."

Her sister's dark eyes went far away for a second then refocused on her with disturbing clarity. The fighters had lost the thread of the conversation, her parents and Glitch had not. Her mother sucked in a breath and her father's eyes went emotionless.

"That's why you can stop her." Her sister stated this calmly. She nodded her head slowly glad that she understood. Az leaned back in her chair and contemplated the map for a long time without moving. The silence stretched out awkwardly.

"Az… I didn't-" Her sister sat up straight.

"Deeg you're a genius." That was pretty far up on her random comment meter. But Az wasn't yelling so she figured she'd go with it.

"Ok then. Why is that exactly?"

"Does she know?" Her sister's voice rose in excitement.

"Does who know what now?"

"The witch. Does she know you're not the daughter of light?"

"Noooo. Why?"

Az grinned in a very predatory way. Raw rumbled respectfully. "Az clever. Have plan."

All eyes shifted back to her sister. "We need the witch to know were here. Why not invite her in for a chat? She doesn't know Deeg came with the fighter's. She might think that were all alone and ready to bargain. If she thinks you're the daughter of light she may be willing to come out of hiding if she can use us as random."

Glitch's face lit up like a lamp. "That's brilliant! She knows DG's stronger magically but has no idea she can control dark magic as well as the light. If she thinks the two of you are off bumbling about in the woods she may be stupid enough to pull out all the stops and attack us here."

Jeb nodded but looked grim. "True, but even with DG as a surprise element the witch has us cornered and severely outnumbered."

Ian sighed shaking his head. "If she turned even half the Longcoats we pushed this way she must have at least four hundred more troops. Even with the palace guards we only have about eighty fighters. If she decides to fight she'll overrun us with sheer numbers."

"I agree, unless we can get more troops here I don't see how this can work, although the ideas a good one." Cain added though he appeared to be turning the idea over in his head.

Az's shoulders drooped and she was wanted to comfort her sister when she felt a sharp pain in her arm. "Oww!" Her hand detached itself from Wyatt's and slapped over her tattoo. She stood knocking her chair over backward and smacking her arm. "Stop it! That hurts!"

She only half noticed that the people around the table were giving her startled looks. Cain knew what was happening because of the binding but no one else had caught up with the situation. Hell the fighter's still didn't know she was marked at all. The Outer Zone was being rather insistent that they have a chat this second. She had other ideas. A soft place to sit before she was dragged into unconsciousness was high on the priority list. The O.Z. vetoed this request.

"Damn it!" It her legs buckled below her and she saw Cain lunge to his feet to catch her as darkness enveloped her vision. She really hoped he made it in time.

She found herself sitting in the gazebo next the lake at sunset. At least she wasn't suspended in inky blackness again.

"Was that necessary?"

_We needed to speak with you._

She pressed her lips together. No really? "About what? We were trying to figure out how to kill the damn witch!"

_You are worried about her soldiers. They are like the body of a snake. Cut off the head and the body dies._

She perked up. That was interesting, that was very interesting. "So I kill the witch and the zombie things die?"

_In a manner of speaking._

Annoyance flared. "I need specifics here!"

_When you kill the witch you will be able to break the spell that has them trapped in their minds._

Hope flared in her chest. "I'll be able to change them back?"

_Yes._

That was more than she could have hoped for. "Do you know what would get the witch to come here?"

_Convince her that your sister needs to be killed first. Make her think she still has the darkness within her. She will do what she must to destroy the first obstacle in her path before she comes for you. She fears the darkness as much as she revels in it._

"How can I do that? Az can't cast a dark aura, she doesn't have it in her."

_Place a spell in the emerald and have your sister wear it. It will be enough to persuade her. We will do our best to help with the deception. We will also cloak your magic long enough for you to cast the spell._

"The emeralds hidden in Central City. We don't have time to go get it!"

She could have sworn the O.Z. was exasperated with her. _Call it to you. We will shield that as well._

She nodded enthusiastically. "Awesome! Really! Stellar plan! Anything else?"

_No cast your magic quickly. We will need time to recover before the witch arrives. Do not call to her until sunset or we will be unable to assist you._

She felt herself thrown back into reality. Even as her eyes snapped open she called out to the emerald and yanked it to her ripping through the protective spells that she and Az had constructed around it. Her head started to pound from the effort but she felt the cool stone materialize in her hand.

Her blurry eyes met two worried blue ones. Cain had her wrapped in his arms. He was on his knees and she was laying half in his arms and half on the floor. She blinked bringing him more fully into focus. She tilted her head slowly and found herself surrounded by a number of familiar worried faces. She jerked in surprise as Cain helped her sit up.

"What the hell was that? And why is her nose bleeding?" Ian was perplexed.

She reached up with the hand that wasn't clutching the emerald and wiped her nose. It came away with a smear of blood. Son of a… That was the last time she just smashed through so many spells without thinking about it. Her head was killing her.

Ahamo was down in front of her with a handkerchief in seconds. He was about to hand it to her when he spotted her clutching something. "What do you have there Spitfire?"

She opened her hand and heard a chorus of startled gasps. Glitch was openly gaping at her. "How did you break through all the spells?"

"Painfully." She winced. She felt her nose dripping and before anyone could start to smother her with caring she focused on the part of her magic that let her control her light. The part she didn't like to think about all that much. Her hand started to pulse darkly. Ahamo leaned back slightly as the emerald started to pulse with the amount of dark energy she was storing in it. This had to work she wasn't about to get skimpy.

When she felt herself start to tire she eased off the spell and handed the emerald to Az. "Here the O.Z. said it would make the witch think you were the one with the dark gift."

Az reached out a shaky hand for the necklace and slipped it over her head. Ian stared at her. "The Outer Zone told you?" His head whipped around to Jeb and he pointed at her. "She's been marked! You should have told us!"

Jeb glared hotly at the man. "It didn't make a difference. She was under my protection regardless of who or what she was. Be thankful you had the good sense to accept her."

Cain growled low in his throat and Ahamo handed her the handkerchief rising to his feet. Glitch moved close to Jeb. Pressing the cloth against her nose she watched the men interact silently. She was confused again. Raw moved to her side resting his paw against her temple and Cain left her to stand next to Ahamo.

"Not having second thoughts are you Ian?" Cain's voice was deadly calm. Ahamo was radiating silent authority and Glitch appeared ready to go into full attack mode.

"Don't get you panties in a twist Tin Man!" Ian's voice was waspish. "I accepted her and I'm not regretting it but I don't enjoy being left in the dark!"

The Queen stepped between the men as Raw's healing gift washed through her head. "That's settled then. Tell the rest of the fighter's my daughter is marked. If anything it should make them more loyal to her."

Her mother turned to look down at her with concern. "When should we be ready to call the witch?"

She was leaning heavily against Raw as his healing gift continued to wash away the pain in her head. "Don't do anything until sunset the O.Z. said it wouldn't be able to lend us any power before that. And I need to rest if case she decides to make a guest appearance."

Ahamo was still glaring at Ian. "Very well, Raw, Mr. Cain would you take DG back to her room to rest? I'll make sure everything is ready for tonight."

Raw helped her gently to her feet. She decided to keep her newly acquired handkerchief pressed to her nose in case Raw hadn't fixed that yet. Cain backed toward her keeping his eyes on the fighter's for a moment longer before he wrapped an arm around her waist and lead her from the room.

Cain and Raw had her moving briskly down the hallway. She was getting annoyed with this sudden over protectiveness. "What is going on?" She hissed at them.

"Wait until were alone Sweetheart. Then we can talk."

Raw just rumbled in annoyance dark eyes flashing.

Author Note: Ajax just realized he hasn't been in the last few chapters. He has become annoyed with me. A review might make him feel better and make him stop biting my arm so I can write some more. Owww!


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I still don't own it. Not even a little bit.

Once they were back in their room, Cain lead her to the bed and Raw closed and locked the door in agitation. She found this disconcerting; Raw didn't get agitated with people. Raw was a seer, he understood people and reacted to them accordingly. She scooted back until her back was against the headboard and waited impatiently, bloody cloth still pressed firmly against her nose.

Cain left her and started pacing up and down the length of the room. She could all but see the rage radiating off of him. She raised an eyebrow but decided to get Raw to fix her nose first. It might be best for Cain to work off some of this before she started to question him. "Raw, can you fix my nose?" Her voice sounded funny around the handkerchief.

The seer, who had been watching Cain, twitched slightly. He moved to her quickly and placed a furry hand on her nose. She felt a strange tingle and her eyes watered. He removed his paw and she sneezed, shaking her head. That had felt weird. "Thanks, Raw."

"DG welcome. Needs to clean up. Raw get clean cloth." He walked into the bathroom with a sigh. She watched him step away baffled.

"Ok, what was that? Why is Raw pissed? And why were the lot of you about to jump and possibly kill Ian?"

Cain continued to pace and Raw returned bearing a moist washcloth. He rumbled angrily as he approached her. Handing her the cloth he answered. "Ian question Jeb's leadership and debt to DG. Stupid man."

"What? What debt? I didn't hear him say that."

"He implied it!" Cain was all but snarling. "He accepted you into the fighters. He had no right to go back on that once he made that choice!"

Whipping her face she tried to sort through that statement failing utterly. "Wyatt, you're going to have to walk me through this one."

He stopped his pacing abruptly turning to face her, eyes flashing. Raw patted her hand, but made no effort to calm the raging Tin Man. She searched his face while he tried to compose himself enough to answer her question. He recognized her honest confusion and took in a long deep breath. "Ian is Jeb's second in command, DG."

She nodded her understanding. "When he came up to you yesterday, he was testing you. I didn't realize you didn't know why he was."

"Why was he?"

Cain sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sweetheart… you saved the fighters, all of them. Jeb had already accepted you; they couldn't depend on him to be impartial in this case. It was Ian's place to decide whether or not to claim the debt they owed you."

"Claim what debt?" This was not getting any clearer. In fact, she was becoming even more confused by this explanation.

Raw hummed gently. "Fighters owed DG lives. Important in O.Z. If ignored, brings great dishonor."

She blinked, a number of oddities becoming a lot less odd. Then she felt her stomach twist unpleasantly when realization dawned. "Is that why the three of you came with me before the eclipse? Just because I saved you?" She moved away from Raw, appalled. "I didn't do that so you would be forced to help me!"

Cain moved to the other side of the bed, grabbing her fast and spinning her to face him. He held her face so she was forced to look him in the eye. "No one has to accept a life debt, DG. I came close to turning the one I owed you down. And once I got you to Central City it was as good as repaid because that was all you asked me to do. As far as I know, Glitch repaid you the minute we got to Milltown and you never asked Raw for anything at all."

She heard Raw behind them but Cain wouldn't let her move away. His eyes were boring into hers. "DG not force friends to do anything. We follow because right. Because we care."

Cain stroked her cheek. "We went with you to help you, Sweetheart, not because we had too."

She let out the breath she'd been holding and Cain gently loosened his hold on her. "So, Ian accepted the debt for the whole group. Why was he angry when he found out I was marked?"

Cain's eyes hardened again. "Ian's a good fighter but he prefers hit and run tactics. He doesn't like to be cornered. When he realized you were marked he knew he and the rest of the fighters were as good as shoved on the front lines until the witch is dead and your debt's repaid."

"I take it you told Glitch and Ahamo about this when Mother cornered me?" Cain jerked his head. "And I'm assuming by the way you all reacted that the only thing worse than not accepting a life debt is turning one down after you agreed to it?" Raw rumbled in the affirmative.

Cain growled angrily. "He's lucky no one killed him on the spot. Especially in the company he was in."

She winced, unsure of the proper conduct in this situation. "Do I owe Jeb an apology? I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"No." Cain's voice was firm. "The only one that owes anyone an apology is Ian. Trust me, Jeb will be taking care of that."

"Alright, now that that's been cleared up, can I rest for a while? Getting the emerald that way may have taken less time than before, but I'm tired." Cain's lip twitched and he leaned up to kiss her on the forehead.

Raw stood from his place on the other side of the bed. "Raw go back to talk to Glitch. Will work out way to hide you when witch comes. Cain stay with DG."

Cain just raised an eyebrow at the bossy seer but followed him to the door making sure it was closed and locked behind him. She yawned stretching out on the bed and pulling the nearest pillow under her head. A few moments later she felt Cain settle down next to her his arm wrapping around her. She hummed happily and nestled back against him.

"You just woke up, Tin Man. Are you really going to spend all day in bed with me?"

He snorted against her hair. "You mean I don't have to chase after you into almost certain death? I'm thinking spending a day in bed sounds like a fine idea." His hand found hers and he lifted it up so he could inspect the ring on her finger more closely.

Her eyes followed their entwined hands but she stayed quiet. She thought she must be learning how to read him because she knew he was thinking of a way to say something. "Darlin', when this is over, what do you want?"

She twisted her neck to meet his eyes. "What do you mean?"

He tugged her over so they were facing each other his arm still wrapped around her. He almost looked shy. "I know we're bound, but do you want to have a marriage ceremony? Do you want to live in the palace? Have children? What do you want, DG?"

Her brain refused to process the questions he had just asked her. She hadn't thought that far ahead. She was both flattered and petrified that he had. "I don't know." She said guiltily. "I never thought about it before. I was never really the wedding type; I always figured I'd elope. Do you want a ceremony?"

He smiled softly at her, running a hand through her hair. "A small one might be nice if you're willing, Sweetheart."

She smiled back uncertainly. "Alright, can I think about the rest and get back to you?"

Kissing her gently, he tucked her against him. "Of course you can, Sweetheart." Relieved that he wasn't pressing the issue, she relaxed into him and let the rise and fall of his chest lull her to sleep.

When she woke up the suns rays were hitting her in the face in a very rude manner. Cain was no longer in the bed with her but sitting in one of the chairs next to the window paging through a book. She stretched and oozed out of the bed. Cain eyes darted up from his book to watch her but he made no other move. His lips twitched as she ran a hand through her hair moving to him.

"Feeling better?"

"Yup." She gazed out the window and estimated it was still mid afternoon. She wanted to get out of this place for a while. She was starting to feel claustrophobic. She gazed at Cain hopefully.

He rolled his eyes knowing what she wanted. "Fine, but only to the stables. We can't risk either of us getting spotted."

She gave him a thousand watt smile and lunged at him. He made a strangled noise of surprise when she ended up straddling his lap. She grabbed the book out of his hands and dropping it to the ground kissed him soundly on the lips. Before he could respond she jumped off the startled Tin Man grabbed his hand and hauled him out of the chair.

He grumbled half heartedly as she practically skipped out of the palace and into the sunlight. Fresh air so totally rocked. It was probably a good thing that Cain had her firmly by the hand because she nearly forgot her promise to not go past the stables. Cain just sighed and swung her into the long airy building.

She grinned at him, letting herself swing in a wide arch straight back into his chest. He grunted bracing himself as she whacked him. They slammed into the wall next to the door and he glared down at her. She snickered at his expression before putting on her innocent eyes.

"You are just asking for trouble today." He grabbed her neck, dragging her face up to his and nipping her bottom lip before pressing his own lips against her and plunging his tongue in her mouth. She grabbed the lapels of his duster, pressing against him hungrily.

She was having serious thoughts about a literal role in the hay when they were interrupted by a loud whinny. She sprang away from him in shock head whipping around. She spotted Ajax's leaning out of a stall a few feet away. He snorted at her humorously.

"That was not cool, Jaxy!" She marched over to him shaking her finger in mock anger.

The horse waited until she was close then stretched his neck out and ruffled her hair up in every direction with his nose. "Hey!"

Cain chuckled behind her as she frantically tried to flatten her hair back down. He walked by her patting the horse on his neck before he opened the stall door to let him out. Ajax nickered gleefully and pranced out of the stall. He nuzzled the Tin Man who was suddenly extremely uncomfortable with the sudden attention.

"Awww, Cain, I think he like you!" She teased him.

"Enough of that, Fleabag." His voice was gruff. Ajax shimmied back but looked less than sorry. Instead the horse turned and walked out the back of the stable and into the small riding ring between the stable and the palace.

When they caught up to him he was running around the ring working off energy. She grinned hoping up on a nearby fence to watch him. Cain leaned up against the fence next to her and Ajax speed by. They stayed like that for a long time in comfortable silence. Ajax finally wore himself out and trotted over to them blowing air out of his nose.

The suns were starting to edge closer to the horizon as they brushed Ajax down. She was starting to get nervous as they walked slowly back to his stall. Once Ajax had walked back in Cain caught her around the middle and pushed her in after him.

He held her tightly for a long time stroking her back. Her arms had wrapped themselves around his neck and she was playing with the short hair at the back of his neck. She finally broke the silence. "I have a feeling things are about to get crazy."

He sighed tightening his grip on her. "We'd best get back to the palace or we might miss it, Sweetheart."

She kissed his jaw and pulled away. Turning to Ajax she tugged his head down and scratched his ears. He snorted gazing at the door of the stables. "Don't worry, Ajax. I have a feeing you'll get a chance to fight soon enough."

He wuffled, but didn't try to follow them out of the building. She went back into the building about half ready to face what was coming. She thought she did better at this fighting thing when she didn't have to think about it before it happened. Jeb met them at the entrance motioning them toward a side staircase.

It wound around toward a long narrow hallway and onto a small balcony that overlooked the throne room. The balcony was mostly hidden by both its height and a large tapestry that was hanging on the wall. She was impressed. This was a sweet hiding place.

Jeb turned to her. "I'm sorry about Ian, DG. That was unacceptable, it won't happen again."

"Hardly your fault, Jeb. No worries." She smiled at him and he titled his head accepting.

"Will you be able to help from here if anything happens?" He was so serious for someone so young.

"Yeah, no problem."

"Be careful and don't show yourselves unless you have too. We can take care of the rest."

Cain gripped Jeb's shoulder and pulled him into a hug. "Be careful, Son."

"I always am." He patted his father on the back nodded to her and disappeared down the hall.

A few minutes later her parents, Az, and Glitch moved to the dais on the far side of the room. Freedom fighters and the Royal Guard filed into the hall lining the walls and waiting. She saw Jeb close to her sister and Raw on the other side of the platform near Glitch. Her parents sat on two simple chairs between them.

Az gazed up at the balcony and she waved to indicate that she was ready. Her sister nodded and stepped forward. Silence fell around the large room as her sister's hands began to glow. She held her breath waiting.

Author Note: Getting close to the end can you feel it? Leave me one the next chapter should be up sometime tomorrow.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I own nothing and while you can't see it I have created a dance to go along with this statement. Trust me its hot…

She didn't have to wait long. Az's light flashed through the room in a brilliant flash as the last rays of the suns sank below the horizon. Now the only things illuminating the room were the wall sconces and one very large chandelier hanging form the ceiling. The balcony she and Cain were hiding in was thrown into deep shadows. Both of them were standing, poised and ready for action.

Below them in the center of the room a small hooded figure materialized up out of the floor. The fighters shifted but remained silent. Her parent remained motionless, watching the figure while Az's eyes narrowed and Glitch shifted his weight ever so subtly. The small mage lifted its hands to its hood and slowly lowered it from its head. From the balcony, she only saw the back of the Shadows head, but what she saw gave her the creeps.

The mage appeared to be a young girl; she couldn't have been more than ten annuals old. Her hair was dirty blond and once her hood was removed it fell to her waist. It took all her self-control not to make any noise. This was grotesque. No child should have been turned.

The girl turned her head taking in the soldiers. When she turned to the back of the room, Cain pulled them both deeper into the darkness they were hiding in. Finally, the girl turned her attention back to her family. Her voice was a high-pitched hiss that somehow made her more repulsive than the adult Shadows.

"Greetings House of Gale. To what honor do I owe this lovely invitation into your home?" The voice was mocking.

Her mother's reply was cold and commanding. "You have dared to attack my people. I have called you here to give you the chance to release them and leave while you still live. I will not give you a second warning."

The girl laughed outright at this. "I think not, _Your Majesty_. You and I both know your power is all but gone. Even the little beauty next to you with that delicious darkness radiating off of her doesn't have the power to stop me."

"Why don't you try me?" Az's voice had gone deadly soft, the emerald glinting in the low light. She sounded as she had when she'd been possessed. DG felt pride swell in her chest at her sister's bravery.

The child tilted her head to study Azkadellia. "Not as smart as the other, are you? At least the young Princess who killed my puppet's dear parents in that horrid water knows her power. You, on the other hand, are out of your depth."

Az raised her chin defiantly. Eyes locking on the girls she gave her a cold smile. "You're afraid of her. You should be, she's gone looking for you."

The girl hissed in rage. "She won't find me in time to save you, dark one. It will be unimaginably pleasurable for me to tell her I've slaughtered her lovely family. Not to mention her servants." Her gaze swept across the angry crowd gleefully. "In fact, I think it would be a lovely surprise to find you all dead when she gets here."

Ahamo stood. "If you think you can frighten us, you're badly mistaken. We killed your sister, what do you think we have to fear from you?"

"Correction Slipper! Your wayward daughter killed my sister. Pity she isn't here to protect you." The small mage laughed maniacally turning to addresses the fighters. "But I don't want any of you to think I will rule unfairly. I want the house of Gale dead, the rest of you are free to leave this place. You have until sunrise to save yourselves."

Turning back to the royals, she gave them a sickly sweet smile. "Tomorrow I'm going to personally paint the walls of this palace with your blood and anyone else that's foolish enough to stand with you. Until then, pleasant dreams." She gave a sardonic bow and vanished like smoke on a breeze.

She pressed herself into Wyatt when she felt him shift behind her. Her mind was racing after that nasty encounter. The plan had worked; the witch was coming to her. They had about eleven hours before the fight started. She let her eyes roam over the people that had started to move and talk below them. How many of them would live to see another sunset? How many were going to stay to fight with her?

Glitch motioned to them to come down and she turned away from the scene and walked down the dark hallway with Cain. He was as silent as she was, most likely having thoughts similar to hers. They made it down to the throne room it short order.

Glitch was grinning dangerously. "That went well."

Jeb snorted next to him, his eyes flicking from one of his fighters to the next. "If by well you mean 'she's coming to kill us all' then, yes, it did."

Her mother had moved of the dais to join them. The Queen was amazingly serene she envied her. "Do you think she's going to wait until morning to come?"

Raw nodded from his place next to Glitch. "Felt no deception. Means to kill us but also wants to make point."

Az laughed mirthlessly. "Which would be what? Do what I say and you won't die?"

Ahamo's reply was easy. "I think that's exactly right, Dear heart."

Jeb was irritated. "I'm going to have my fighters mixed in with the Palace Guards tonight Majesty. No need to take any chances. Everyone else should rest while they can tomorrow is going to be rough."

Lavender inclined her head. "Very good Captain. The rest of us should meet tomorrow an hour before dawn. Do your fighter's know what they'll be up against?"

Jeb nodded. "No need to worry about anyone leaving. We fought off one witch we aren't about to back down in the face of a second one."

Ahamo smiled at the young man. "Very good. Until tomorrow then." He offered his arm to his wife who took it and they turned to leave. Glitch and Az followed behind them.

Cain leaned over and whisper in her ear. "Go with them, Sweetheart. I'll be up soon."

She met his eyes and gave him a small smile when his eyes flashed to Jeb. They needed time and she was more than willing to give that to them. She trailed after her family jogging to catch up with them when they rounded a corner.

"Geez, people, how did I get such short legs when you're all so tall?"

Her father twisted his head around to see her, laughing softly as she puffed up next to them. "Spitfire, I think you'd be in better shape after running around the O.Z. as much as you do."

She huffed at him, but winked. "You'd think so, but sadly, it appears to be a false assumption."

They made it to the study and split up after her father had wrapped her in an unexpected hug. It never ceased to amaze her how almost certain death experiences could heal arguments so fast. She could only hope he had forgiven Cain for getting trapped in this with her. She patted his back gently and moved down the hallway to her room.

She walked into the darkened room closing the door behind her. She decided against lighting a lamp walking to the window and gazing up at the stars through the glass. They twinkled down at her happily unaware of what was about to happen in the palace below them. She drew in a ragged breath. She hated to admit it but she was afraid. Afraid the people she loved would get hurt, afraid she wouldn't be strong enough to stop the witch, afraid of what would happen to them if she failed. She couldn't screw this up.

An arm suddenly came around her middle causing her to gasp in alarm. Cain chuckled behind her. "Sorry, Darlin'. I didn't mean to startle you."

She leaned back into him butting her head against his chest. "Do I need to put a bell on you? That was creepy!"

He leaned down kissing the top of her head. "It'll be alright DG. You're stronger than her."

She continued to stare out the window. "You know sometimes this whole bonding thing is down right annoying. At least, before, I could pretend to be brave in front of you."

Cain's hand traveled from her waist to her hip. "You are brave, Sweetheart, and don't fool yourself, I could tell when you were scared before we were bound."

She was quiet for a long time. She needed to tell him something important but didn't know the right way to go about it. She finally decided bluntness was her best bet. She twisted to face him meeting his eyes dead on. Her voice quivered ever so slightly when she spoke. "Wyatt, if anything happens to me, you need to know it's not your fault."

His eyes were ice blue and serious, one of his hands came up to hold her neck the other pressed her flat against him. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you, Sweetheart."

She squirmed against him. "You can't promise that and I'm not going to let you."

He growled tightening his grip on her. "You're mine DG and I'm not about to let anyone take you away from me."

She was torn between frustration with his stubbornness, pride that he wanted to protect her so badly, and fear that this could be the last night they would spend together. There was no guarantee that either of them would live past tomorrow. She leaned up sealing her lips against his trying to get even closer to him despite the hold he had on her.

He broke the kiss momentarily and bent over picking her up. She gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep her balance. She kissed her way along his jaw as he walked them over to the bed and sat down with her in his lap. He wrapped one of his hands in her short hair tilting her head back to trail hot open mouth kisses down the column of her throat.

She gasped when he reached the point where her neck met her shoulder and he bit her with bruising force. She wiggled against him, shocked and incredibly turned on by the fact that he's just marked her. He growled against her neck kissing the place he'd bitten and soothing away the pain with a quick lick.

She managed to wriggle enough to get one of legs over his so she was straddling his lap. She was pretty sure he didn't try to stop her from achieving this particular goal. She rocked her hips against his, feeling his hardness through their clothes. His head came up and he kissed her hard on the mouth as she continued to rub herself against him. She grabbed the back of his hat and tossed it to the side, scratching his scalp lightly with her nails.

She began to push at his duster and he let her go long enough to shrug out of it before his hands returned to her body with increased vigor. He grabbed the bottom of her shirt and tore it over her head as soon as she lifted her arms. His hands ran lightly over her bare ribs and back as she unbuttoned his vest and then his shirt. She leaned forward pushing him back on the bed and began to trail kisses from his collar down his chest.

He sighed his hands running upward and catching her bra as she moved down his body. She felt the material come apart and sat up for a moment to rid herself of the dark fabric. He grunted satisfied with himself and she let his hands run over her for a while before she continued her journey south. She finally backed off him and lowered herself to the floor.

He propped himself up on his elbows to watch her eyebrow rise. She just winked tugging his boots off. Once they were out of the way she raised herself up on her knees and worked his pants open eyes locked on his. His breathing had turned shallow, but unlike last time, he made no effort to stop her.

"Lift your hips." Her voice was low and husky and his eyes darkened in response to her demand. He shifted enough for her to get rid of the pants and she pulled them down his legs and tossed them away. She turned back to him kissing the inside of his thigh as one of his hands came down to stroke her head.

Her eyes went back to his as she kissed the underside of him. He groaned the hand on her head twitching spasmodically though he didn't push her to do anything. Raising herself slightly she licked all the way up his length before she kissed him once more on the tip and took him into her mouth.

He started to moan her name in a way that made her want to never stop doing this to him. She loved the fact that she could do this to him; make him all but beg her for more. Eager to please she hummed as she bobbed down and he hissed in surprise at the added sensation she had caused him. Before she could bask in her triumph he grabbed her under the arms and hauled her back up onto the bed.

He kissed her hands, running from her breasts to her hips with astounding gentleness. He had her pants swiftly undone and stood up dragging her to the edge of the bed and peeling them off her. He hooked his fingers under her panties as he went removing the rest of her clothing in one easy move. Her pants joined his on the ground and his hand moved between her legs rubbing her in just the right way to make her whimper.

He teased her for several minutes, bringing her to the edge before he took his hand away and flipped her over on her stomach. She gasped surprised by the change of position but when she felt his hands tug insistently at her hips she raised herself up on her hands and knees spreading her legs.

She felt him position himself and slid slowly into her as he bent over her back. She groaned when she felt him nip at her shoulder again pressing back against him when he started to rock in and out of her. One of his hands left her side as he let his weight settle on her back slightly as he moved. The hand that had left the bed found the bundle of nerves between her legs that sent shockwaves though her and began to rub small circles over it. Her moans started to fall over each other in her excitement.

It didn't take long for him to send her spiraling over the edge and her arms gave out under her. He stopped moving in her, his hand holding her bottom against him for a moment before he pulled out and turned her back over. He bent over her shaking form, kissing her frantically before wrapping one of her legs around his waist and placing the other on his shoulder. He pushed back into her and she swore he hit a spot inside her she didn't know existed. Her back arched and she clawed at the blanket, screaming as a second orgasm rolled through her body. She fought back the darkness, thinking she was dangerously close to blacking out.

She felt Cain move deeply inside her several more times before he went stiff above her and shouted her name. After a long minute of listening to their ragged breathing, he reached up and slowly lowered her leg from his shoulder, rubbing her hip when she felt a twinge in the muscle. He pressed his forehead against hers without withdrawing from her and she kept her other leg around his waist in case he decided to try.

His eyes were so intense when he spoke. "You're mine, Sweetheart, and tomorrow night we're both going to be back in this bed together."

She nodded, deciding that she needed to believe he was right about that. "I love you."

He kissed her softly. "I love you, too, Sweetheart."

At least tomorrow wouldn't be able to change that.

Author Note: Next Chapter is the great big fight scene! You know it, I know it, Ajax knows it! Leave me a review and I'll post it for you tomorrow.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: While I own nothing Ajax has decided that he owns me. It's gotten creepy despite the love I feel for him.

She knew they should have slept more that night, but they didn't. She figured they were both afraid that this would be the last few hours they had together despite the promise Cain had made her. For a long time he had simply laid next to her, stroking her back and breathing her in. She let him as she rested her head on his chest, tracing nonsensical patterns over his skin.

Eventually, her eyes drifted shut for what felt like only a few moments. Then, Cain was gently shaking her and her eyes fluttered open. It only took her a second to orientate herself and then she was completely awake, no coffee needed. She dressed quickly, a kind of manic energy taking hold of her. Suddenly, her greatest wish was for this to be over. She felt her tattoo pulse as the O.Z. connected its magic to hers. Apparently, it wanted this over as well.

Cain caught her arm and she looked up into his face. He stroked her cheek and smiled softly at her. "Remember DG, tonight we'll both be back here together."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck, nodding her head furiously. He held her close for a moment then let out a long breath and pulled away. They walked out of the room, hands entwined. They met her parents outside and she saw her father do a double take when he spotted their hands, but he made no comment. In fact, he seemed to relax visibly at the steely glint in Cain's eye.

Glitch and Az joined them a few moments later, the emerald resting around her sister's neck, and for a brief moment she got distracted from everything, wondering if her parents even knew about them. By the way her parents were taking the two in with disinterest; she didn't think either of them had gotten around to informing the royal couple. She found this funny, all the trouble she'd gotten into and somehow those two had managed to keep their secret. It was so unfair.

She decided that if they all lived through this, she was going to drop a few hints about that at the most inappropriate times imaginable. It would be a lovely game to look forward to. She was sure Az and Glitch would have some inventive ways for getting revenge. It had been a long time since she'd had a prank war. Speaking of war… well, that killed the mood.

They walked in silence to the entrance hall where they met up with Jeb and Raw. Jeb had his knives out and was looking out the open doors emotionlessly. Raw rumbled a greeting to them and allowed her to wrap her arms around his neck. Jeb turned and smiled without humor at them. "Everyone ready?" He turned and looked at the Queen. "All due respect your majesty but should you be out here?"

Her mother smiled tightly. "I may not have much magic left, but I can help."

Jeb just shook his head but said nothing else. He motioned them outside. She let go of Raw and drew a deep breath squaring her shoulders. She walked down the steps of the palace and into the crowd of fighters that were preparing for the fight. She heard a whinny and turned to see Ajax trotting up to her. He nuzzled her happily and she hugged him around his long neck.

The fighter's around her shifted when the royals descended. To her surprise when Az was a few steps up from the lawn several of the closest fighters bowed to her. In a slow wave the rest of the freedom fighter's followed suit. Cain who had walked down next to her smiled. Az stopped shocked to be shown such respect and searched the crowd looking for her sister and any answers she might have.

When their eyes finally met she moved from Ajax and lowered her head in acknowledgement of her sister's newly claimed position as heir apparent. Glitch came up next to her and placed a pale hand at the base of her back. He leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Her back straightened and she projected her voice out over the crowd. "Today we are going to end this fight once and for all. No longer will our realm be terrorized by those who think their magic gives them the right to rule regardless of those they hurt in the process. We will stop this woman and reclaim our people. Will you fight with us?"

A roar went up from the men and women on the lawn as the first rays of the sun peaked over the tree line. Weapons were drawn and they formed a semi circle around the stairs leading up into the palace. She felt dark magic begin to form all around them and her tattoo tingled as the Outer Zone prepared to help them fight. She called out a warning. "She's coming!"

Within seconds, chaos erupted around the once peaceful lake. She guessed that well over two hundred of the hooded mages materialized all around them. She felt the O.Z. shudder and then in the midst of the see of dark hoods she saw the witch. She was a hell of a lot prettier than her sister had been. She looked like an ice sculpture come to life. Her skin was white as newly fallen snow and her hair glittered in the sun as if it were covered in a layer of frost. The mages parted in front of her and she glided to the front of her troops.

Her midnight dress flowed around her making her appear even whiter. She gave her parents a cold smile, she hadn't been spotted yet. Her voice had a honey glaze to it. "So, your pathetic fighters decided to stay. More fun for me." She made a small motion to the Shadows. "Kill them all. Leave the Princess for me."

Before they could move, she jumped in front of the fighters, her hands glowing with power. She gave her the most condescending smile she could muster and met the witch's shocked golden eyes. "That sounds like a great plan. Let's play, Ice Bitch."

The witch snarled and the Shadows attacked without mercy. She felt the witch lash out at her as noise erupted around them. She blocked the blast stumbling backward but the magic caused no real damage. The witch, to put it mildly, was pissed. "You are clever little light. But my Shadows hardly need my help to destroy you." She felt the witch try to shimmer away only to be blasted to the ground by the Outer Zones power.

The O.Z. roared through her in silent triumph. While it couldn't kill the witch outright it wasn't about to let her get away. She heard it roar a command at her in the back of her head.

_Kill the infection, Healer!_

She thought that was a damn good idea. "You're not going anywhere, witch!" She let out a bolt of light that the witch barely managed to block. She got to her feet with a snarl of rage. She was aware that all around her a battle was raging but she forced herself not to focus on it. For now she would have to trust that her family and friends could take care of themselves.

The witch sent out a shockwave that she couldn't stop from throwing her backward. She heard screams of surprise as she and a number of other people were blasted backward. She skidded across the ground and stopped at the base of the stairs. She scrambled up her eyes taking in the other fighters that were struggling to regain their footing. It was too dangerous for everyone else for them to fight out here. Making a decision she made what she could only describe as an invisible lasso and whipped it over the witch. With a hard yank she hurled her over her head and across the entrance to the palace.

The witch hit the closed doors, but before she could recover, she hit her with another bolt of magic and the witch crashed through the doors with a shriek of rage. She ran up the stairs and through the shattered doorway after, her light building as she stormed after the witch. By the time she made it inside the witch had recovered. Her hands were flashing with dark energy that she released as soon as she was in range.

She let her light loose at the same moment and their magic crashed into each other with a crackling boom that reverberated throughout the building. Both of them continued to feed energy into the attack and a ball of warped magic began to form between them. It continued to grow and sweat began to run down her face from the energy this was sucking out of her.

Before either of them backed down their magic hit critical mass and exploded outward. Both of them were hurled in opposite directions. She could feel her skin burning and her ears were ringing as she flipped over and staggered to her feet. She reached for her light and felt it sparking sporadically in her hands. She was losing ground and she knew it.

The witch walked to her unsteadily laughing like the maniac she was. "Oh, dear, the little lamp is about to sputter out. I think you only have another spell or two in you. Pity it wont be enough to stop me."

She raised her hands that were pulsing strongly with black magic and hit DG with a spell that felt like a thousand tiny needles digging into her body. She screamed stumbling back toward the doors without realizing it. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath before she aimed the last of her light straight at the witch's head.

The witch let out a satisfying scream, tearing at her eyes in agony. She grabbed the knife out of her boot and lunged at her, hoping she would get in a lucky shot before the psycho could recover. She nearly made it, too. Her hand lunged out and clipped the witch's neck before she was wrapped in an invisible net and, twisting like mad, dropped to the ground.

The witch ran a finger along the shallow cut across her neck and, gazing down at her with one open gold eye, kicked her viciously in the ribs. She let out a strangled gasp struggling to free herself from the magical bindings. The witch leaned down over her, grabbing her hair and twisting her head at an unnatural angle so she could inspect her more closely. Outside, she could hear the sounds of battle, the screams of the fighters and the horrid hissing of the Shadows.

With a rough yank the witch leered at her. "I told you you were a fool to oppose me. Even Ariana, who had the strongest light I've ever seen, could only imprison me. What chance did you think you had?"

Defiant, she spat in her one remaining good eye. The witch threw her head to the ground and she felt it bounce painfully off the cool tile. "You bitch! Death isn't good enough for you." A terrifying smile played over her lips. "I think you will make a beautiful puppet, little Princess." Fear shot through her and her mark burned. The O.Z. was pissed. The witch stood to her full height and with a small motion of her hand she felt herself being dragged across the floor by the dark magic that had her trapped.

The witch pulled her to the broken doors and stopped at the top of the stairs. From her bound position she could see the battle was not going in their favor. A number of fighters and Royal Guards were either dead or unconscious on the ground and the ones that remained standing had formed a small circle around the royal family. She saw Cain shoot a mage that got too close to Jeb an instant before the witch started screaming out orders. Her voice was no longer sickly sweet, but harsh and demented.

"Drop your weapons or the girl dies!" Instantly the Shadows backed away from the group hands at their sides, waiting for further orders from their mistress. The fighter's and her parents turned at the sound of her voice. She saw the terror in their eyes when they saw her bound and burned at the witch's feet.

They couldn't give up because of her. She twisted desperately. "No! Don't you dare listen to her! Az, use the emerald! Kill her!" She was silenced with another brutal kick to the ribs.

"DG!" Cain's terrified shout cut across the distance. Az's hands began to glow.

"If I feel so much as a spark of magic from you, she dies!" The witch smiled insanely down at her. "However, turning you isn't going to kill you." She watched, feeling oddly detached as a fireball began to grow in the witch's palm. She felt her tattoo pulse and a memory wove its way into her consciousness.

She heard her friends screaming but remembered how not a week ago she'd been hit by two of these fireballs and walked away with nothing more than a burnt hand. She watched the witch build the spell and understood why. It wasn't her light that had protected her, it was her darkness. It had absorbed the spell and left her unharmed. She knew how to kill the witch in that instant.

She laid still and silent, waiting for her to finish the spell. She sent the most soothing emotions she could through her binding to Wyatt, hoping that he would understand that what was about to happen was a good thing. The witch smirked down at her, fire dancing in her hand. "Goodbye, Gale Bitch. It will be a pleasure to have you in my services for the rest of your existence." She let the fire go and it hit her dead in the chest. It hurt like hell but as she felt the spell wrap itself around her, she let her darkness utterly free for the first time.

Her body convulsed as waves of dark energy shot from her. Her magic laced around the witch's pathetically weak spell and consumed it like a flash fire. She felt the magical net around her melt away under her power and the witch screamed in fear. She kicked her feet out, knocking the woman to the ground next to her. She heard panicked shouts as the fighting started below them once more.

Before the witch could get up, she grabbed her white hair and dragged her face up to hers. Reason and compassion had left her. Her hands were pulsing with black magic and she found a thrill of pleasure in it. The witch's one good eye widened as she brought her face close to hers. Her free hand came up to her white face and her fingers spread. She felt the Outer Zone roar.

_Finish it!_

Opening her mouth, she sucked the life energy out of the witch the same way she'd seen her possessed sister suck the life out of the Mystic Man. The witch convulsed as she was drained, her eyes rolling up in her head. As the last of the witch's energy flowed into her mouth, she disintegrated as white powder under her fingertips. She stood, swaying and surveyed the scene below her. The Shadows had ceased fighting, frozen in their tracks. The fighters that were still up were gazing at her in amazement. Cain broke away from the group, scrambling up the stairs toward her.

She smiled for a split second before she felt her head explode with pain. She fell to her knees, screaming in agony and clawing at her hair. Through her pain-filled haze, she was aware that dark magic had started shooting off of her in ragged bolts. She toppled over, shrieking and wishing to hell that someone would kill her so she wouldn't have to feel like this anymore.

Author Note: Well that was exciting! At least I hope it was… If it wasn't there's more! So no worries! But you know… you could well…shucks, leave me a review… just so I know…maybe…


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I still own nothing except Ajax and maybe an exciting new character in the next chapter. Yes you heard me right there will be one more chapter after this.

She was convulsing on the ground in agony. The magic was too much; it had connected her to all of them. She couldn't focus enough to stop the darkness from lashing out at everything in its path. She heard a crack as some of her stray energy rocketed up and hit the doorway above her. The voices were stabbing into her like knives.

_Help me!_

_Who are you?_

_What are we doing?_

_Mommy!_

_Release me now!_

She screamed again barely aware that she had clawed her scalp so badly that blood was running freely down her face. Her eyes opened and she saw figures running toward her. Her body went stiff as another wave of energy lashed out. She heard Glitch shout and saw his tall form thrown backward down the stairs. Panicked she lost her senses entirely as the pain and fear that she'd just killed her friend tore through her.

Her tattoo pulsed as the Outer Zone tried to connect with her. She sobbed as another voice tried to worm its way into her conscious. It wasn't long before the magic was simply rolling off her in waves. She felt it sucking her life away and wished it would end quickly.

She distantly heard a groan as the archway above her gave way. She felt her body hurled backward as it fell with a crash where she had just been. She lay in a tangled heap still screaming and desperately trying to stop her magic from smashing into whoever was shielding her body. She couldn't stop it from radiating off her but she managed to direct it into the floor. The tiles began to crack beneath her. The voices continued to call to her.

_Please…_

_Where is she?_

_No more fighting!_

An arm wrapped firmly around her for a moment before she lost her tenuous grip on her magic once more and the body was hurled off her. She heard Cain let out a yell as he impacted the ground several feet away. She gasped out a plea her voice breaking in anguish. "Wyatt get out! I can't stop it!"

He gave her a look that even in her state she could interpret as 'your out of your mind Princess'. He leapt to his feet running back toward her reaching out to her. She cried out as another wave of darkness pulsed toward him. He threw himself out of the way as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "Go! I can't stop the voices! Please!"

He growled sliding on his knees to stop in front of her. He grabbed her up clenching his jaw as a weak wave of magic knocked both of them back to the floor. "I'm not leaving you! Now focus DG!"

"I can't there's to many!" She was shaking with the effort it took to focus on him. He growled as she forced the next wave to lash away from them. She felt her breathing begin to falter from the effort and thought her heart might explode. Without warning Cain twisted her around and ignoring her burns ripped her shirt open at her shoulder.

He placed his palm flat on her tattoo and barked at her. "Break the connection with them Sweetheart! Destroy everything that isn't us!"

She closed her eyes and screamed again when she let herself drop into the connection. She didn't know where to start. She could feel the spell the witch had built wrapping around her in an effort to keep the Shadows under some form of control. The magic wasn't alive but the witch had given it a purpose and it was trying to fulfill it.

She jerked in desperation unable to get a hold of it. Pain tore through her again and she felt a kind of hopelessness take over. Then she felt Wyatt pull her close and whispered in her ear. "We promised we'd be together tonight DG. Don't give up on me. I can't loose you."

She gave one last gasping sob. She didn't break her promises. She felt for the dark vines that were searching for a new mistress to attach themselves to and with a massive force of will she used all the magic she had left and sent a dark flash down the lines. It vaporized the connections as it went. She felt the voices shout almost in unison and went limp when silence suddenly pervaded her mind.

He sat them up but she couldn't get her body to move. Darkness was wrapping around on her as the pain and exhaustion closed in around her. Cain put a hand behind her neck and brought her face up to his. "DG?"

She gazed up at him her breathing slowing down dangerously. She couldn't work up the energy to talk. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to stay with him. She was tired and cold and wanted to sink into sleep forever. Her body just hurt so much. His eyes clouded with panic and he shook her. "No DG!" She smiled weakly at him reaching to touch his face her vision going dark. She shoved all the love she had at him and he began to call out hysterically at her.

"Sweetheart! Sweetheart, don't you dare die on me!" She fought to hang onto him wanting to stay. She hoped he knew that. She felt him shift. "Raw get over here now! She's not breathing right!"

The last thing she felt was Cain lowering her to the floor before she felt herself drift into a painless darkness.

She was aware she wasn't awake when she felt the Outer Zone prod her. She opened her eyes and found herself standing in her family's mausoleum. The green marble coffin she had blasted rested, destroyed near her. She gazed across the circular room to the Grey Gales tomb and waited. The Outer Zone was watching her patiently.

"Am I dead?" It wouldn't surprise her. But she felt guilty. She wanted to go back to Wyatt, she'd promised.

_Not yet._

She sighed to tired to fight anymore but afraid to get her hopes up. "Does that mean I'm going to be dead soon?"

_Not by your standards. You will need to rest for a time before you can finish healing us._

"Raw saved me?"

_Your guardian saved you. The seer simply kept you breathing. _

"Did I break the spell?" She found that this was weighing heavily on her mind.

_Yes you destroyed the disease. The men and women have been healed and are being cared for while they recover._

She let out a long breath relief flooding through her. "Good."

_When you are well you must finish your task. But for now rest and know that you're safe. We did well in picking you Healer._

She just gazed at the railing that wrapped around the center of the room wanting to leave this place that held so few good memories. She felt the O.Z. let her go and the vision before her shimmered out of existence.

Her eyes opened to her dimly lit room. Her body felt as of she'd been run over by a whole village of Munchkins. She shifted slightly and felt her burned body chaff against the sheets. She decided moving was a bad idea. She let her eyes adjust for a moment and realized that she could hear soft pacing behind her.

Despite the pain she craned her neck around and saw Cain moving back and forth in front of the window radiating helpless worry. His hat and duster were nowhere to be seen and his sleeves were rolled up past his elbows. She wondered how long he'd been awake. Her heart began to beat faster. She hadn't meant to scare him. "Wyatt?" Her voice came out as a croak. Apparently everything was going to hurt. That was just lovely.

He spun around so fast she was afraid he was going to fall over. He was next to her faster than she could blink. His hand came up wrapping around hers. The relief in his eyes was evident. "You scared me Sweetheart."

"Sorry." She squeezed his hand. "You saved me."

He brought her hand to his lips kissing it softly. His eyes sparkled. "I'd say it was a team effort."

Team… She gasped struggling to sit up. "Is Glitch-"

He pushed her back down gently. "He's fine although he's got a nasty bump on his head. And before you try to run off everyone else is alive minus a few of the Royal Guard. I think the witch wanted to turn everyone. She had her mages knock em out until the battle was over."

She closed her eyes body sagging. She opened them again to look at him. "Are you ok?"

He chuckled softly. "Other than the near heart attack you gave me and a few bruises I'm fine Sweetheart."

Her lip twitched. "How long was I out this time?"

"Almost a whole day. The first sun should be rising in an hour or so."

"That may be a new record." She pulled weakly on his hand. He just stared at her, appearing to be soaking her in, his thumb running across her knuckles. "Well… get in bed or I wont be able to keep that promise we made Tin Man."

His eyes were blank for half a second before he started to laugh quietly at her. She smiled back and pulled again. He shook his head and sat on the bed removing his boots. He slid down next to her laying an arm over her quilt-covered waist. She shifted with a small annoyed sound as her burns started to sting. He froze and made to move but she caught his arm and held him while she readjust.

She muttered angrily about pyro witches as he relaxed behind her. Finally settled she sighed. "That's better. I don't think I want to fight anymore crazy witches. They have a habit of leaving me in a state of disrepair."

He snorted into her hair and kissed her neck lightly. "That's fine by me Princess. And Raw should be able to heal you up the rest of the way in the morning. Once he had you breathing he had to go check on the other fighters." He sounded half satisfied and half annoyed with the viewer.

"Of course he did." Like she would have expected anything else from him. He was a healer after all. She could relate. "Wyatt you haven't slept in two days. Stop worrying for a little while and sleep." She murmured.

He stroked her hand with his thumb again. "I wasn't about to sleep with you laying here the way you were Darlin. I was afraid you were going to stop breathing again."

"Still breathing. Not leaving. Now sleep, I'm pulling the royal command card."

He kissed her neck again and she could feel his smile then he relaxed into her. She felt him fall asleep slowly and appreciated the fact that he had been right about them being back here together. His arm was a welcome weight around her. She stayed like that while the suns rose her mind pleasantly blank for a while. Then she started to think as her mind turned back on. She smiled when her ring glinted in the early morning sun a pleasant idea forming in her head. It might take a few days but she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to do much for a while anyway.

Once Cain woke up and Raw healed her she figured they could start to plan where she needed to go and heal the O.Z. next. The Outer Zone hadn't given her a specific location so she figured it was up to her. Maybe Cain wouldn't mind heading to Milltown in a week or two. She missed her Roboparents. She hoped she could convince them to let Glitch take a look at their wiring.

Cain finally stirred next to her when the second sun peaked over the tree line. His arm tightened around her instinctively and she held in a whimper of protest when he accidentally rubbed her burns. He felt her pain through their binding and sat up. "Sorry Sweetheart, I'll go get Raw for you."

Her lip twitched as his overprotective side kicked into gear. He was up and out the door talking to a guard before she could reply. He came back to the bed and helped her sit up. He was handling her like a piece of porcelain. She smacked his upper arm in annoyance. "I'm not going to shatter Wyatt! Calm down."

He grumbled at her. "You nearly died! Let a man pamper you! It makes me feel better!"

This threw her into a state of uncontrollable giggles. It didn't matter that it hurt her ribs when she laughed. That was possibly the funniest thing she'd ever heard come out of his mouth. He glared at her his eye twitching at her reaction to his concern. She leaned forward and kissed him. Getting herself under control she ran her fingertips along his slightly stubbly jaw. "I promise, once Raw fixes me up you can pamper me all you want."

His eyes went two shades darker and a smirk formed on his lips. Thankfully Raw entered the room before he had a chance to respond. Raw purred gleefully at them. "DG awake. Both happy. Good, Raw heal now."

She smiled at the viewer. "Thanks Big Guy. I owe you one."

Raw sat next to her patting her hand. "DG owe Raw nothing. DG happy makes Raw happy."

She felt his magic wash away the burns and she sighed in relief. "Oh that's way better. Thank you!" She lunged at him hugging him tightly. He laughed patting her back.

Cain chuckled standing and helping her to her feet. "Lets go see your family and the Headcase, Sweetheart. They may start to think something happened to you."

She sighed dramatically. "Their a paranoid bunch. You'd think crazy people were after me all the time or something. But what can you do their family."

Cain rolled his eyes and Raw laughed as they made their way to the study.

Author Note: Leave me a review! I love them, they fuel me! Peace out people I'll post the last chapter tomorrow!


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: For the last time in this fic I own nothing. Sniffle… sob… I'm tearing up form the sadness of this being over. Ajax didn't even get mad when I used his tail as a tissue. So just go! Read it already!

Two weeks later she found herself sitting next to the lake near the gazebo sketching an image she couldn't seem to get out of her head. It had been easy enough to get a sketchpad and oil pastels from her father. A breeze played through her hair as she added a few shadows to Ajax's face. She smiled when she finally set the dark tool back in its wooden box and closed the lid latching it firmly.

Her current subject was grazing nearby tail swishing as he kept an eye out for danger. Cain had given him very specific instructions not to let her out of his sight until he and Jeb got back from a short patrol that afternoon. Honestly she thought he as over reacting. Nothing had happened at all since she killed the witch, nothing dangerous at any rate.

She would admit that the first week had been strained. It had taken all of Raw's empathy skills, her mother's tact, and Jeb's stubborn and commanding presence to calm the people that suddenly found themselves in a strange place at gunpoint. Most of them had been put in custody immediately until their loyalties could be verified. Considering most of them had been Longcoats it wasn't all that surprising.

She supposed Cain was a bit justified in his worry. Her intense use of magic had a few unintended side effects on her. Other than a fair few mood swings the first three days, which she refused to acknowledge, even though Cain insisted it wasn't normal, there was one thing she couldn't deny. She had become crazily narcoleptic. It was becoming down right annoying. She kept waking up in very odd paces. The library, the garden, the study, the stables, and once the bathroom floor. That one had freaked Wyatt out, he hadn't been able to find her for a good thirty minutes.

Her mother insisted the effects would wear off in another week or so but until then she was getting antsy to leave. Her Tin Man had dug in his heels about that. Apparently when her safety was involved he was even more bull headed than she was. It was fairly impressive.

She sighed happily holding the sketch away from her with a grin. She felt much better now that it was on paper. She didn't want to forget the way Ajax had looked covered in a layer of Munchkin kids. It had been a good moment in their journey and she was eager to capture it. Maybe she could get Az to frame it later today. A shadow fell over her and she craned her head up to see Ajax gazing down at the image.

He snorted ears flicking up in interest. She giggled at him, gentle ripping the page from the book. She went up on her knees and turned holding the picture up to his eyes so he could see it properly. She raised an eyebrow as he studied it critically. "You like?"

She saw the mischief in his eyes a second to late. He snatched the paper out of her hand with a whinny and wheeled away at a gallop. "Hey! Get back here!"

She gathered up the notebook and box of pastels as she scrambled to her feet and took off after her wayward horse. He was freaking fast! It wasn't fair! He had two extra legs to work with. "Ajax that took me all morning to make! I want it back!"

She saw him glance back at her and his tail flicked high in good humor as he galloped around a small corpse of trees that lined the outside of the maze. She put on a burst of speed hoping to catch up to him when he couldn't see her. In retrospect it was a poor choice.

As soon as she rounded the corner she came to three unfortunate realizations. The first was that Ajax had slammed on the breaks. His rear end had lowered and his four feet had dug into the soft earth to cease his progress. The second was that he had stopped in order to avoid slamming into two riders. The third was that she wasn't going to be able to stop in time to avoid a collision.

"Crap!" Her one free arm pin wheeled as she tried to prevent the inevitable. She hit Ajax's rump and bounced backward landing face up on the soft grass her sketchbook dropping to the ground and her box of art supplies burst open over her head like a small fireworks display.

She threw her arms up when gravity reclaimed the colorful bounty and dropped them gleefully over her head. At least the box didn't hit her that might have stung a bit. She stood brushing herself off and glaring at her horse. "A little warning next time Jaxy! I swear if I'm bruised I'm letting Cain carry through with his threat about turning you into a plow horse!"

While she found this threat threatening she hadn't expected it to scare Ajax so badly that he would run around her and hide his face behind her back. "What's the matter with you? And stop crushing my art supplies!"

She heard a chuckle and finally glanced up at the two riders. A soft rugged voice addressed her horse. "Shame on you Ajax, I taught you better manners than that."

She recognized Ian immediately but the other man, the one that had addressed Ajax, captured her attention. She blinked in amazement when she saw Wyatt reflected back at her in an older form. And she thought Az looked like her mother. The man dismounted from a cream colored mare and stood easily in front of her. He had the same blond hair, although it was peppered with white, and strong jaw. While older he was fit and looked like he could hold his own if he needed too. It was his eyes that were different from his sons. They were the most vibrant shade of green she'd ever seen in her life.

He looked her up and down and she had the oddest feeling that his horse was doing the same thing. Ajax wuffled pathetically behind her. Finally the man smiled and extended his hand to her. She reached out and grasped it firmly liking him immediately for not bowing to her. "Princess DG I take it?"

She grinned up at him. "Yes sir, Mister Cain. Thank you for agreeing to come to Finaqua. You're a hard man to track down even with magic." She felt Ajax shake his head along her back and her body jerked gently. "Can I ask why Ajax is acting like a scared puppy?"

He let her hand go lip twitching. She noticed the laugh lines around his mouth and eyes. "He always was a trouble maker. Someone had to keep him in line and teach him how to behave like a proper horse."

"_You_ raised him?" Ajax gave a dramatic sigh and raised his head to gaze at the man over her shoulder. That was crazy. Who would have guessed that Wyatt's father would be hiding on Glitch's farm. Wonders never ceased.

He chuckled again. "Him and all the other horses left on Lord Ambrose's farm. Used them a fair bit to smuggle families out of the O.Z. the last few years."

Her respect for the man increased. Apparently all the Cain men had been part of the resistance. She smiled at him. "Would you like to come in? I'm sure you must be tired."

He tilted his head indicating that she should precede him. She glanced down at her art supplies and after shoving Ajax to the side used a spurt of magic to toss the lot of them back into the box. She bent down picking it and her pad up and grinned up at Ian. "Thanks for delivering my message."

Ian just shook his head at her. "Anything for Jeb Princess." He leaned over and took the mares reins leading both horses toward the barn. She had a feeling that Ian had actually done this as a way to apologize for the whole 'life bond insult thing' but let it go. It didn't matter to her why he'd gone only that he had. Ajax gave her a sidelong glance shoved her drawing back in her free hand and practically ran after Ian. She snorted and headed toward the palace the Cain patriarch walking silently next to her.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before she spoke again. "I have to confess I didn't tell Jeb or Wyatt that you were coming. I was afraid to get their hopes up."

His steps faltered and she paused at his startled expression. "Wyatt?"

She raised an eyebrow. She had written in her letter that his family had been looking for him and would be at Finaqua for the next few weeks. "Yes. Is that a problem?" She was suddenly afraid this surprise, which she thought had been a great idea, was going to bust.

"Princess my son has been missing for years. Are you telling me he's here?" His voice clearly conveyed that this was too good to be true.

She nodded. "He's out on patrol but he should be back within the hour. Ian didn't tell you?"

He stared at her, then without warning, pulled her into the tightest hug she'd ever experienced. Her box dug into her ribs and she let out a squeak but made no move to get away. When he let her go she saw tears in his eyes and her heart melted.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me Mister Cain. I promised him I'd help find you. He saved my life more than once. In fact if it weren't for Wyatt I very much doubt the O.Z. would be free of the witch that possessed my sister."

He gazed a question at her. She smiled at him. "Maybe I should let him tell you about it. Come on lets go in. Are you hungry?"

He just nodded appearing shell-shocked. She laced her arm in his and that seemed to bring him back to himself. He peered down at her analyzing her again. "Your not what I was expecting."

"I get that a lot." She could see the amusement in his eyes.

They walked thorough the entryway and up the stairs. She figured the study would be a good place to wait for the other two. They ran into Glitch who was walking down the hall arms full of weirdly shaped pieces of metal. He paused eyes flicking between the two a smile lighting up his face. "Hello Doll! Who's this?"

"This is Mister Cain. Who's been raising your horses."

The metal dropped from his long pale arms with a clang. She snickered at his expression. Ignoring the mess he extended his hand. "Your Emmett? It's nice to meet you! I had no idea you were related to Cain. Does he know you're here?"

She bent down and started picking up scrap metal. "Not yet. Glitch why don't you just get a box to put these in?"

He ignored this question and the mess ushering Emmett into the study. On the way in he asked a guard to bring them some snacks. She rolled her eyes shimmering a box next to her and tossing the junk into it. She began to mutter under her breath when she heard footsteps behind her. She blamed her adventures and the paranoia they produced for the shield that flew into existence around her.

She turned swiftly hands glowing in a crouch and found herself staring up at an amused Wyatt and a smirking Jeb. She dropped her shield and her hands dimmed and she smirked back up at them. "Good your both here. I have a gift for the two of you in the study. I suggest you go save him before Glitch nags him to death."

They gave her identical odd looks and Wyatt was down right suspicious when he felt her satisfied joy through the binding but he helped her to her feet and they stepped inside. Jeb, who was ahead of them, made it to the open door first and jerked to a halt. Wyatt bumped into his back but went just as still when he spotted his father. She felt his hand tighten around hers and there was a long silence as the three men stared at each other.

"Dad?" Wyatt obviously believed he was seeing things.

Then Jeb practically bounded across the room and the older man wrapped his arms around his grandson. Cain moved in after him letting go of her hand and she motioned for Glitch. He went to her and they left quietly closing the door behind them. The guard had returned with the food but she told him he was not to go in under any circumstances unless he was invited.

"That was sweet of you Deeg." Glitch had a contented gleam in his eye as he picked up his new box.

"Hey they deserve it." She yawned then glared down at her mouth going cross-eyed. Glitch just laughed at her.

"You should get to your bed this time. I don't want the Tin Man to have another panic attack when you decide to pass out next to your tub." She snorted amused but headed toward her room.

"I am so over this nap attack thing."

Glitch stopped next to her as she opened the door eyes twinkling. "Your ready to leave again already."

She fidgeted. "Don't judge me! I just hate being stuck in one place all the time."

Glitch chuckled warmly at her. "I know Cupcake. Don't worry you'll be off sooner than you think. Now go lay down, I can't carry you and the box."

"And knowing you you'd choose the box over me anyway." He gave her his jester grin.

She shook her head with good humor and went in closing the door behind her. She managed to get her boots off before she zonked out she was making progress. Glitch was right they would be leaving soon. Until then she should try to enjoy the bed.

She woke up when an arm wrapped around her waist. She blinked rapidly sitting up confused. Wyatt just tugged her back down against his bare chest with a happy laugh. He then proceeded to kiss every part of her skin that wasn't covered by her cloths. She started to giggle when his hands ghosted up her sides tickling her.

He trailed kisses up her neck then around her jaw before he kissed the side of her mouth. He situated himself over her resting on his elbows and pecked her on the nose. His eyes were dancing as he ran a thumb along her recently smooched jaw.

She gave him a cheeky grin. "So you liked your surprise then?"

His eyes told her he had but he said so anyway. "Very much Sweetheart. Thank you."

"Anytime blue eyes. Did you have a nice reunion?"

He hummed an affirmative sending vibrations through her body. Her world went hazy as her body moved closer to his without her direction. He smirked down at her deliberating. She felt her breathing shallow when she saw that particular expression on his face. It always meant good things. She twisted her head and nipped him just below his jaw line.

He growled moving his hand from her face down to her shirt. He sat them both up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He was still wearing pants. That was a shame but it was easily remedied. As her hands strayed south he caught them and held them above her head. She pouted at him but didn't move as he pulled her blue top up and off of her.

Her second attempt was equally unsuccessful. He caught her a second time and after removing her bra placed her hands on his shoulders. "Don't move them until I say Sweetheart." This had not been stated as a request.

She tilted her head considering him. She decided humoring him might result in something interesting. However she wasn't going to let his command go without testing out the loophole she had found. She swiveled her hips against his lap and was rewarded with a soft curse and his hands latching onto her waist. He growled at her willfulness but she could see his eyes darken in satisfaction.

"Very clever DG. No more moving unless I say." She grinned her tattoo tingling. "And no magic either."

She pouted some more but stayed still as his hands undid her pants then moved up her torso caressing her with calloused hands. She began to whimper when he found her breast and began to massage them lightly. She pressed against him without thinking about it and he rumbled a good-natured warning to her. "No moving Sweetheart. Do you want me to stop?"

She panted shaking as her body tried to react to his. He was the worst tease ever. He leaned forward capturing her lips at last and began to nibble at her bottom one as his hands continued to roam her body. She whined fighting not to move. He must have felt her frustration because he finally lowered her back to the bed when her nails started to dig into his shoulders.

He took her hands one at a time and placed them against the headboard eyes locked before he moved again. Her sigh of annoyance turned to a moan when one of his hands pressed between her pant-covered legs. Her hips bucked before she could stop them and she quickly pressed them flat against the mattress. He glanced up at her grinning. She gave him a half-hearted glare. "I don't like you very much right now."

He chuckled kissing her stomach. "That's a shame Sweetheart. How can I change that?"

She stared down at him. Was he serious? He ran his hand against her again in encouragement. She hissed feeling decidedly uncomfortable asking for what she wanted but she could see his eyes darken as he waited. Fine then she was up for this if he was.

She smirked. "I want you to let me move."

His lip twitched. "Anything but that Darlin."

She groaned in defeat. "Fine you horrid man! I think we're both wearing too many cloths. Do you think you could do something about that?"

He moved his hand away from her thighs and reached up grabbing the top of her pants. He tried to pull them off but she still had her hips pressed into the bed. His eyes flicked up to her and she put on her most innocent face. He rolled his eyes. "Lift up." She complied happily.

Once she was free from her cloths he moved off the bed and tossed his pants on top of hers. He crawled back on top of her and waited.

So this was how it was going to be. She eyed him before her next demand. "Kiss me."

He stroked her face and slowly captured her lips with his. He nibbled her lower lip gently before his tongue started to massage the inside of her mouth. She hummed into his mouth her body starting to tingle from his attention. He drew back slowly kissing the side of her mouth as he went. His hand had tangled in her hair but he made no other move to do anything to her. Her eyes fluttered open and she found him regarding her with amused impatience.

Her mouth went somewhat dry at the predatory gleam in his eye and she decided that she might want to humor him. "Wyatt…"

"Yes DG?"

She whimpered. "Please, I want you inside me."

He growled pleased with her. "Spread your legs Sweetheart."

She obeyed swiftly and waited for him to position himself over her. To her surprise his hand snaked between them and she felt two of his fingers slide inside of her. Her breath caught as he began to stroke her his fingers crooking up and hitting the spot just inside her that made her whole body feel like it was on fire. She started to thrash her head and call out his name. He simply speed up his movements.

He pressed his face against her neck to whisper in her ear. "Does that feel good DG?"

She managed to get out a strangled response. "Yes, so good. Don't stop."

He kissed her moist skin continuing to talk to her. "I love to see you so worked up Darlin. You make the most beautiful sounds." He bit her shoulder gently where the bruise he had given her was starting to fade. "Do you want me to make you come now?"

"Yes!"

His fingers twisted and his thumb pressed up hitting her clit. Her body went stiff and she saw lights flash behind her eyes she moaned helplessly as her body quaked beneath him. She went limp and finally managed to get her eyes back open. Cain was smirking down at her both his arms resting at her sides.

"Not what I meant but I'll take it." She panted up at him.

He leaned down and kissed her softly. "Maybe you should be more specific then Sweetheart."

"If I am will you let me move?"

He considered this request for a long moment. "I might."

She arched her neck up and slung a leg over his hip before he protest. She started to murmur hotly in his ear. "I want you to bury yourself as deep inside me as you can get Wyatt. I want to feel you pounding into me while I scream your name." She felt him stiffen above her at her unexpected dirty talk. "I want to hear you groan out my name when you can't stand to hold out for me anymore. Do you think you can do that for me?"

He growled catching her leg with one of his arms and thrusting into her in one swift stroke. She groaned in appreciation. "Always so good Wyatt."

He grunted as he moved inside her. She clenched around him trying to drive him over the edge. He started to mutter her name reaching down to capture her other leg so he could drive into her at a deeper angle. He tilted her hips up to help him moaning when he brushed against her clit. Finding he had hit a sweet spot he continued to move in her at that angel until she spiraled out of control again. She screamed out his name as he came hotly inside of her barking out her name in response.

They lay tangled together panting and she snaked a hand behind his head running her fingers through his hair. That had been a great deal of fun. Her mark tingled pleasantly as he shifted off her so she could breath. He wrapped an arm around her and flipped them so she was lying on top of him. She vaguely wondered if he had any more long lost relatives because she would gladly go get them if it resulted in another encounter like that.

She sighed and propped her chin on his chest so she could see his face. "So now that your father's here when do you want to have that ceremony?"

He stared at her astounded his ice blue eyes going wide. "Is that why you haven't wanted to talk about it? I though you changed your mind."

She smirked evilly. "Naw, I knew you'd want him to be there. I figured it was worth making you sweat a bit to get him here without you knowing. And while I'm being honest the last time you tried to talk about it I may have pretended to fall asleep over that history book."

He snorted at her. "Your not going to let me get bored are you Sweetheart?"

"Not a chance Tin Man. And since were on the topic of future stuff-" She gave a false shudder of fear and he smirked at her. "- I figure having a kid might be fun."

His eyebrows shot up and his jaw dropped open. "You want to have children with me DG?" His eyes had lit up like lamps.

She smiled softly. "I think just one if that's alright. And not until after I finished healing the O.Z. because that would be completely crazy. And I'm not sure I can live in the palace but that's open to negotiation."

He stared at her speechless for a long time before dragging her up to him and kissing her soundly on the mouth. "I love you DG even if you are the strangest princess I've ever heard of."

She just smiled down at him propping herself up on his chest on one of her elbows. "Being a normal princess is overrated. Who wants to be dressed up in gowns all the time? Or have eerily charming princess saving them from dragons? I think I prefer running around in the woods saving the world with a grumpy Tin Man and his really tight pants."

He glanced over at the pile of cloths on the floor. "What is it with you and my pants?"

"If you don't know I'm not going to tell you." She bent down and kissed him firmly. "I love you Wyatt Cain, now lets get up so we can go plan this marriage ceremony."

Author Note: Well that was a great deal of fun for me! This writing thing could be my new favorite past time. In fact, I have already started formulating another story for Tin Man in my overactive imagination so keep an eye out. I hope you all had as much fun reading this as I had writing it! Leave me one last review for old time sake if you would I do love the feedback. See you all down the old road!


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